Through A Dog's Eyes
by raphfreak
Summary: Raph's life takes an unexpected turn when he's captured and turned into a dog. It could be fun, freedom from Leo, free to do as he pleases but there's a small problem. Dog's don't speak English.
1. Prologue

**Yes, I know. I'm starting another one - I really shouldn't but this one has been bugging me for so long...*sigh* I hope you enjoy it.**

**They don't belong to me....never have and unless I suddenly become the richest person ever, they never will.  
**

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He'd always had a place to call home…but not now. He sat among them, silent to human ears, a rebel in his language. Humans looked at them as just another animal – a creature to do their bidding and to stroke and play with…a creature to claim as their own until they were too much and just threw them away,

What many humans didn't know was that when they threw away their animals, they also threw away the endless trust and loyalty that the animal built up for their master. They would die for them in an instant, yet humans tossed away the sacrifice like nothing.

A life was sacred – he just never knew how sacred until now.

He watched the endless humans pass the cage he shared with other animals, but not one stopped to look in at him. He was just another sad face wanting out of the place – out of the place that kept them locked away and put down when they were deemed un-adoptable.

He knew life was rough and he preferred it to the cage where he felt totally useless and helpless. He always hated waiting on help, but this time he had no choice. He hated it when his brothers swooped into the rescue, but this time he waited impatiently for them to come and get his butt out of the cage. He hated the long lectures Leo gave whenever it happened, but now he would chew his own arm off to hear Leo call his name in anger and frustration.

But this time if was different.

He wasn't the familiar green shelled, sai wielding ninja turtle and hothead. He wasn't the red masked brother of mass destruction. He longer wore a mask around his amber eyes, the pads and leather belt or the familiar sai's. He no longer could speak English and walk around on two legs.

He was a new animal…one so common; Raph doubted his brother's would ever find him among the thousands. He doubted his brother's would even look among the thousands for him.

They would be looking for a flash of green and red, the cry of a battle, and the screams of the innocent. That's where they would look for him. Not here.

Not in the cage, surrounded by many other innocent souls like him, who once probably had a family too - one that they swore to protect, but were now locked up like him and wondering when their own knight in shining armor was coming to save them.

Raph never paused to look at the many homeless strays he saw. He never paused to sympathize the starving puppy digging through a dumpster or the old dog that would die alone.

He never once gave them a second look. He doubted he ever gave them a first.

Now he understood and found himself seeking help that wasn't there and wasn't ever coming. He knew what it was like to be a freak, but to be normal in the eyes of humans and still be rejected hurt him more than anything he'd ever known.

After all, he was just one of a thousand.

Now he sat, behind steel bars and metal floors, watching humans pass him and his cellmates. He could hear the whimpers of attention and the barks of want. He could hear the cries of the innocent and the growls of fear.

But they weren't just barks and growls, whimpers and whines – they were words to him; words with meaning and passion, words with hurt and sorrow; words with rage and confusion, loneliness and the wishes.

He could hear them all and he wished he couldn't.

The cry youngest as they called for their mothers.

The growl of the fearful when they knew their time had come.

The howls of the loyal – letting their masters know they would wait for them.

The barks of them all as they waited for fate – as they waited for one soul to decide their life. They had two roads to take and one of them led to death, one of them life.

If one human could look at them with pity in their eyes and take them home, their lives were fine for a time. But if no one came…if no human saw them…

Death lay beyond the farthest door…the one many dogs went in.

But not one came out.

He knew his time was coming…he knew it deep in his heart, though his stubborn side refused to believe it. He knew one day he would be the one being drug across the aisle, nails screeching on the floor for a grip while whines and pleas hit deaf ears as the leather loop tightened around his throat.

He knew it was coming…soon. His brothers would never find him – he was one of many that cried for help.

He barked with the best, growled in death's face, and howled to the moon.

He was Raphael…he was a dog.

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**Let me know if I should continue this....review!**

**thanks**

**~raphfreak  
**


	2. Chapter 1 Pickings of Insanity

**Here's the first chapter of Through A Dog's Eyes. The first chapter was the prologue and I hope you all enjoy this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

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"You understand what I'm saying, don't you?" The man held the teenage boy up by the collar of his shirt. The boys pale blue eyes were glazed over in fear as the man shook him around like a rag doll. "Don't you!" The man screamed in his face.

The boy swallowed nervously. "Y-yes sir."

"Good."

The boy was dropped to the floor carelessly as the man straightened his white lab coat and squared his broad football-like shoulders. "I expect the results to be immediate. This creature is unlike anything I've ever seen…the DNA floating in his system is unknown to man." He licked his lips. "Image what we could accomplish with one tiny sample."

"But sir…" The boy stuttered, still lying on the floor, unwilling to get to his feet and meet the man's face and stare him in the eye. "Why do you want to change him? Why not just sell him off to a zoo or private collector. Surely the money is great."

"Great yes." The man snorted. "But now what I want – I know is family…his brothers. The one in blue…the one they call Leonardo is the one I must hurt."

"Hurt?"

"He murdered my mother." The man seethed, clenching his calloused fists. "My mother is dead because of that turtle. He took everything from me…my family, home, and life. My mother is dead because of his stupid honor bound ways. Dead!" he closed his eyes. "So he must suffer as well."

"Kill them?" the boy asked.

"No." he opened his eyes as a grin spread across his face. "Death is too good for them, but my mother failed to see. Death is one thing…but I want suffering forever. For him never to know what would happen to his brother – and for his brother to be right in front of him. For him to never know what had happened." He chuckled. "Revenge is a sweet thing."

"Fine." The boy frowned. "What animal though? There are thousands."

"Pure and simple." He reached for a small book and randomly flipped it open. The page settled down, revealing a large German shepherd posing on the white page. The tan and black fur gleamed under the sun as the white fangs shone in powerful jaws. The tail was curled slightly, stretching out from the long and muscular body. The fur draped down, showing off beauty, as well as strength and power. "Perfect."

"But what turtle?"

The man gave another smile. "The one in red…the one they call Raphael."

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"I'm going Leo!" Raph yelled, clenching his arms at his sides so he wouldn't lash out and wipe that smug look off Leo's face.

"No, you're not." Leo crossed his arm, staring at Raph with narrowed chocolate brown eyes. "Master Splinter said I'm in charge while he's away and he told me not to let you leave the lair at night. We could go on patrol's, but none of us are to leave the lair alone."

"He'll never know." Raph growled. "Stop being such a Splinter-suck up and lighten up! Grow up for heaven's sake. You're not his pet Leo…you can make your own choices."

"I have." Leo replied in a deadly calm voice. "And I choose to listen to Splinter."

"ARGHHH!" Raph threw both hands up in the air. He whirled around and marched towards the elevator, making each step a clear sign of where he was going.

"Where do you think you're going?" Leo raised his eyebrows in annoyance.

"Up." Raph snarled as he punched the elevator button. The hum as the machine rolled downwards echoed through the lair, bringing Don out of his lab and Mikey out of the kitchen, a pizza slice halfway in his mouth.

"Dudes," Mikey swallowed his bite, looking from Leo to Raph, and then back to Leo. "What's up?"

"I'll tell you what's not up." Leo growled as he stalked forward, standing a few feet away from the glowering red masked turtle. "Raph."

"Huh?" Mikey cocked his head, turning to Don for an explanation.

"You're not going up Raph." Leo said firmly. "And that's final."

"Whatever." Raph said, tapping his foot as he waited for the doors to slide open. His chin jutted upwards in a sign of defiance towards the elder turtle. Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Raph…" he warned, frustration clear in his voice.

Raph ignored him, still tapping his hummed, sliding open. Leo grabbed his brother's shell as he started to move into the enclosed area. He whirled his younger brother around, meeting him eye to eye.

"Raph!" Leo yelled. "You aren't going! Get that in yer head, shell for brains!"

Raph gave him an odd look before barring his teeth. "Get your hands off my shell. Now." His voice got deadly calm as they both had a stare off.

"Chill guys." Mikey and Don stepped forward, pushing each of the elder brothers away from each other. "It's not worth a broken neck. Or arm. Or leg."

"Guys, lets think this through." Don said loudly, trying to grab their attention.

"I've thought it through – he's not going up."

"I've thought it through too – I'm going up." Raph said, as he broke free from Don's grip, making his way back towards the doors. Leo lurched from Mikey's firm grasp.

"Let go Mike!" he yelled as Raph entered the elevator.

Mikey held on a few brief more seconds, unsure of what to do, before releasing his struggling eldest brother. Leo shot towards the door right as they closed. He gave a growl and banged his fist against the metal as the elevator took his brother up – up top.

The exact place Splinter told them not to go.

"Stay down here!" Leo yelled as he ran for the front door of lair, prepared to find the nearest manhole and scurry up it and reach his hotheaded brother, hopefully, before he got to far away. Leo knew it was very easy to stay hidden in the busy streets, and under the cover of darkness. Leo may have been the best all-around ninja, but Raph was definitely the best at staying hidden in the shadows. Going up as many times as he did, Leo had to admit that Raph had a lot more practice as it then he did. One mistake on the streets could mean your life – Raph had learned that the hard way through many broken bones, numerous bruises, and more concussions then he could count.

Every bruise, broken bone…any injury, was one too many for Leo. He hated to see any of his brothers hurt, especially when he knew he could have prevented it. He remembered all the threats he had made about tying his brother up if he didn't stay down in the sewers.

The duct tape and rope in the supply closet was looking mighty tempting to Leo as he ran through the ankle deep sewer water, knowing the closed manhole was only a few minutes away. But he also knew that every second was every bit of distance Raph was putting between the two.

_Shell you Raph_, Leo thought angrily. _Why do you always have to do this to us? One day you may not come back and then what?_

He let out a gulp at the sight of the manhole as his words echoed in his mind. If something happened to Raph, he would never forgive himself, especially knowing that he could have prevented it.

_You'd better come back down that manhole Raphael Hamto_, thought Leo. _You'd better. _

_

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_**I hope you all enjoyed this...please review!**

**Also, please let me know which of my books I should update next!  
**


	3. Chapter 2 Raph meet Dog

**Um...only 4 reviews....thanks to those who did. Just a quick note to everyone out there, I update books that are being read so please leave a review to let me know. **

**I hope you enjoy this long chapter....**

**Oh Raph4Villain did a great pic of Raph as a dog for this fic! here's the link below for it and please check it out on Deviant Art labeled - on four paws. I will almost post a link on my profile page but remember - THE PICTURE BELONGS TO HIM AND I DID NOT DRAW IT!  
**

.com/art/on-four-paws-123027562

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At the same time Leo was scurrying up the manhole, Raphael was thinking that maybe he should have listened to Leo for once. The waves of Foot ninjas seemed to overrun the alley, the red foot symbol on their chest glaring angrily at him as he back ed farther and farther away from the advancing mob.

"Ladies, my dance card is all full for tonight." Raph joked, paling as his shell hit the concrete of the alley behind him. "Maybe some other time?" he offered weakly.

There was a snort from one of the crowd, but impossible to narrow down to the source. All the foot looked alike, with slim waists and muscular chest. The only difference was the weapons that they each held, pointing at him. There were several he'd never seen before but some that hew as familiar with like the katana, sai and shrunken. He could make out one or two that carried a Bo or nunchucks – apparently the pointless weapons weren't as popular.

"Shredder wants you turtle." The leader, it seemed, spoke up, pointing a katana at Raph's chest. "Give up now and come peacefully."

"Right," Raph snorted, giving his sai's a few expert twirls. "And we've come peacefully when?"

"Give up turtle." The foot ninja said again, and Raph had to smirk at the detected fear in his voice.

_Um…how about no. _

Raising both of his weapons up, he bared his teeth at the men. It was obvious that some of them could think of several other places they would rather be than in an alleyway, trying to capture a butt-kicking turtle that showed no mercy to them.

"Now, now gentlemen."

Raph's amber eyes widened at the voice, instantly recognizing and hating the tone. Bishop.

The tall man strode forward, his black attire making him almost blend in with the shadows. His sunglasses were pushed high up on his nose, blocking his dark eyes, but not the wicked smile that covered his features.

"Now Raphael, surely there is no need for you to be like that." Bishop said soothingly. "Why don't you just come along nicely and with no fuss. That would save us a lot of trouble."

"And why don't you go crawl back into whatever dirt hole you crawled out off?" Raph asked in the same, mocking, soothing voice.

Bishop narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows lowering behind his shades. "You have one more chance turtle."

"Right back at you."

Bishop let out a sigh, as though he was making a huge sacrifice. "Take him out." He moved out of the way as three more men wearing padded army clothes and bullet proof vests stepped forward. Raph barely had any time to comprehend what was happening before nine darts in rapid unison were fired.

Six rebounded off his shell as he spun quickly, hoping to dodge while three hit the exposed skin on his shoulder. Raph threw a sai with one hand while the other hand went out, fending off any goons that thought they could take him.

Everything started to blur as Raph tried to take another step.

What the shell…

Knees buckling under his sudden exhausting weight, Raph hit the ground with a loud thump. Pain from the hit shot through his body, but quickly started to dull as the drug's effect swam through his blood. Suddenly what should have been easy became impossible as Raph tried to regain his feet but even the thought of lifting a hand became tiring, even to think about.

He shut his eyes with a loud groan, blocking out the sounds of approaching footsteps and the jeers and taunts of the men around him.

"I gave you a chance turtle." Bishop chuckled. "But it was worth my time to see you finally fall."

And then all went black.

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He wasn't sure whether it was the angry noises around him or the screams of pain that woke his up, but a sudden noise drove him from the darkness.

"Ohhh….my head." Raph groaned. He was laying on his side, in a small area. He had vague memories of a blinding white light above him and cold steel under his body – the groups of needles driving into his skin and the several faces above him, muttering words that should have made sense, but at the time, just didn't seem to matter.

Rolling over, he put out one hesitant hand, then another, pushing himself upright. Blinking hard, he looked around the room.

_Great, another cage_, he thought feeling fine steel under him. He could see it above him and to the sides. Looking out through the bars, he could see the room looked like a storage closet, with shelves piled high, full of random things, and boxes stacked around the small dark area.

Letting out another sigh, he looked down at his hands.

His eyes widened as his breath jumped. He almost swore his heart stopped beating for a minute as he looked down in shock and terror.

Instead of three green fingers, were raven black paws. Black claws curved outwards, deadly looking and sharp. Whipping his head around, he saw a long, bushy tail, lying on the steel. His tail was all tan except for a strange black marking that covered half the fur. Also looking, he could see the only black on him was his paws and his tail – he wasn't sure about his face.

_Okay Raphael, get a hold on yourself. This is just a dream and any second, you'll wake up with three fingers, two toes, a green body and a shell. Leo will be banging on your door to wake you up at any second….it's just a dream. You're not a dog. You're not a dog._

"Yes sir, a beautiful creature."

Raph cocked his head, pinning his triangular ears flat to his head. He could feel the golden fur on his spine and neck raise as he let out a low growl at the sound of voices outside the closet door. He faintly wondered why he was in a closet, but it didn't matter. He had to get back home…he had to get Donatello to find some kind of cure.

As the voices got closer, Raph realized that his hearing had improved greatly. He could hear the squeak of their shoes on the tile floor, the jingle of coins in a pocket, and the heavy and light breathing of the humans.

Backing up as far as he could in his cage, he bared his teeth as the doorknob turned, and light streamed in. Two humans Raph had never seen before stood in the doorway. One looked fairly nice, with kind blue eyes and a gentle expression on his face. The second man had rough looking features with harsh brown eyes that seemed to glare at Raph. He wore a white lab coat, buttoned up halfway.

The kind man knelt down, letting a hand rest on the large cage. He studied Raph with a critical eye, taking in every detail.

Raph shook slightly – he hated being stared at, especially when he was in a cage…cornered and could do nothing to escape the blue eyes that followed his every movement. He growled again.

_This is dumb you stupid human. I'm not a dog – I'm a mutant turtles that's going to kick your butt unless you let me out._

"He's a magnificent animal." The kind man said softly. "His markings…I've never seen a Shepherd with markings like him. I've never seen any dog with markings like him."

"I know." The second man said in a gruff tone that made Raph despise him even more. "We found him on the street – stupid thing almost got hit by a car."

_On the street? Come on man, surely a human isn't stupid enough to believe that._

"Poor thing."

_Or maybe they are._

"Ya want him?"

_Want him? What the shell do I look like? Wait, don't answer that._

"I don't know….he looks kinda vicious to me." The man said doubtfully. "And I do have my son at home…."

"Haven't you been looking for a companion for your son though?"

"…yes."

"He's perfect then. His long legs will allow him to keep up with your son and his good looks will impress the girls for sure."

Raph almost snickered at the voice the man was using – it was like he was advertising a car instead of trying to get rid of a dog.

"I'll take him,"

_What?_

Raph backed up in the cage, not realizing his tail had curved under him. He didn't want to go to some strange home to become a pet – he was not a pet. He would not be kept in a cage, forced into a collar and leash. He wanted his brothers – Leo to come in, katanas flashing, Mikey's wise-cracking jokes, Don's silent determination.

Lips pulled upwards, he revealed his row of teeth, each one sharp. He snarled, daring the man to try it.

_Bring it on pal…._

"Hey now boy, it's okay. I'm just going to take you home now…no one will hurt you again." He offered out his hand to Raph, allowing him to sniff his hands through the bars.

_You really think I'll just sniff it? Stick it in here and I'll bite it._

"Calm down boy. I'll get ya out of here. I'll save you from this horrid place."

_Buddy, when I get out of here, it's not me who'll need saving._

Raph opened his mouth to tell the man off but the sound the came from his throat wasn't a cuss word, but a loud bark that echoed through the hall. He winced at the sound of his own bark.

"There, there now." The man soothed. He reached from behind his back and pulled out a large, thick-coiled piece of rope. "Come on now, it'll be okay." He knotted the rope into a slipknot, and carefully reached for the latch of the cage.

Raph flattened his ears against his head and crouched down, hackles rising. The man gently undid the lock, sliding it out of the metal latch. With a gentle creak, the cage door swung open.

Raph didn't wait a second longer but burst from the cage like a bullet. The man let out a startled gasp; falling heavily to the ground as the large German shepherd flew over him.

Raph knew he was fast, but dogs were always faster unless they had a good head start. Raph had always wondered what made them so fast – faster than humans – but now he knew why. He could feel all four paws flying over the ground, the pads on his paws taking most of the impact and his weight. His powerful haunches gathered up beneath him and seemed to spring out at each stride, taking him far and fast. His tail streamed out behind him like a banner – the markings almost looked like flames at the fast pace.

His tongue lolled out, but Raph quickly sucked it back in. It seemed he had dog instincts too and his long tongue was one of them. He quickly found that keeping his mouth shut made it harder to breathe so he opened his jaws again. Like he shot out of the cage, the tongue stuck out, flapping behind him.

Raph ignored it for now – he had to get away. Behind him he could hear the pounding of several feet, heavy and large, which told him several different people were pursuing him.

_Do they really think they can catch me?_ Raph thought amused. _Two feet are overrated._

The long hallway he was in took a sharp turn ahead. Raph focused on the right place to make the turn. If he were human, he wouldn't even have to think about it. But his long legs took him farther and with more speed than he was used too.

Gritting his teeth, he heaved to the left.

The slick tile floor under him was too slick for him. His paw that was meant to turn him slipped on the slick surface. Paws catching nothing, he let out startled yelp as he crashed into the wall.

He could hear chuckles behind him as the men quickly caught up. Raph shakily staggered to his paws, bracing himself on wobbly legs. His flanks heaved for breath as he lowered his head, hungrily drawing in air.

A squeak of a shoe made his head snap up and a growl escape from his throat. A group of large men were approaching him from both sides, cornering him into the tiny space. If he was human, he could have easily taken them out. But he was a dog – Raph snarled and barred his teeth.

_Well, at least my teeth are sharper this time. I've seen a snarling dog and it ain't a thing you want to mess with…. stupid humans. Don't they know cornering an animal only makes it more aggressive?_

Already he could feel his animal survival instincts kicking in. His piercing gaze landed on the largest man of the bunch, with huge muscular arms and a large, broad chest. His face was twisted into a sickening sneer. That man was the biggest – he was the bigger threat.

With a growl, Raph lowered his head. Gathering his hind legs under him, he prepared to spring.

He would not be taken down without a fight.

"Wait!"

Raph kept his fur bristled but let one ear perk forward. The kind man was running forwards, hands out stretched as he gasped for breath. His brown hair was wild and his blue eyes were wide.

"Wait!" He panted. "Back away." He motioned with his hands.

With a grumble, several men moved away. The largest of them men that Raph had been ready to attack let out a snort.

"That animal is dangerous." He had a rough British accent. "He needs ta be destroyed!"

Raph growled. _That man needed a good beating, er, clawing._

"No," The kind man shook his head. "He's just scared. Look at him, you freaks have him cornered like a trapped animal and he feels threatened. You can't do that."

"Are ya sure ya want yer kid ta have him?" The man growled, cracking his knuckles.

The man exchanged looks with Raph, as if he was almost reconsidering.

_Please don't…I can't survive here_, Raph thought pleadingly. He wasn't use to his new body yet – he had no way of winning.

The man's blue eyes met Raph's and they softened. "Yes. My son is a good kid. He'll have a good home. There are just too many people out there who think they're dangerous just because of what they're known for, such as dogfights or police dogs. In truth, a dog isn't born mean, but raised a certain way, then they will be mean."

Raph almost snorted. It sounded more like he was giving a lecture to people thinking of adopting a pet than too goons who needed to be pounded into paste.

Raph flexed his claws_. Let me at em…_

"A dog has no way of telling you that they're hurt or in pain. Remember, in a dog, weakness means death. In a pack, they would be killed because they would slow down the pack so no dog could afford to be weak. So when a dog is abused, the only way they can protect themselves is to growl and act threateningly. That's just they're way of saying to be left alone."

He gave Raph another glance. "He just needs a good home."

_I don't need a home, I got one already. And the minute you get me out of here, I'm gone._

"My son, Kevin, will be good for him. Kevin has been having trouble with bullies lately so I'm hoping he'll help Kevin toughen up a bit… no sane person will mess around with a large German shepherd."

The British man gave Raph another look, then stepped back, clearing the path. "Go ahead pal. But don't say we didn't warn ya."

The man knelt down a few feet from Raph, raising a hand in his direction. "Come here boy." He murmured. He held the coiled rope in one hand. "Come on. My name is Ben. You'll like my wife Rebeca and my son Kevin, they'll both be real good ta you."

Raph perked both ears. He knew he really didn't have a choice but still… he was not a pet!

_I don't have choice though, he thought angrily to himself. If I stay here, I'm dead for sure. But if I go, there's a chance that I may get ta escape. But going means a collar and leash and cages…_he shuddered.

He had no choice.

With a small sigh, he forced his fur to lie flat and carefully, tensed, padded over to the Ben. Ben let out a gentle sigh of his own before laying his hand on Raph's furry head. Raph had to contain a shudder that ran through him as the man gently stroked his head and played with his triangular ears.

"Good boy." Ben smiled. "Good boy." Carefully, he slipped the rope around Raph's thick neck and pulled it tight. "Come on buddy…" he gave a gentle tug.

Raph froze, and closed his eyes. He had to force himself not to attack the man and break loose – he couldn't.

Head hanging low, he let Ben lead him from the building.

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**Please leave a review and let me know if you want me to update. Reviews are needed for me to keep a story.**


	4. Chapter 3 Meeting the Family

**Well, here's chapter 3! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. Don't own them but do own OC's. Please ask before use!**

**Thanks to Mike11, Lion-of-Judah, MelodyWinters and Raph4Villian for their help and constant support!  
**

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"Hop on up." Ben urged Raph, holding the backseat of his car open.

Raph peered in with pinned ears. The backseat had a large dog crate in the back, the metal door open. On the inside of the crate was an old towel that had been spread on the bottom for comfort. There was also a few dog treats – Milk Bones – on the towel.

"Up." Ben urged.

Raph growled and backed away a few steps. No way…he was not hoping that cage like a pet! He was not a pet – he was not a dog.

"Come on boy…"

_No, if you think it's so easy, you hop in there!_ With a choked growl, Raph jerked backwards, throwing his head up.

"It's alright boy!" Ben cried, struggling with the leash. "Calm down!" With a quick jerk of one hand, he drew the line taunt against Raph's throat. Raph immediately felt his airway cut off and his jaws went wide open as he struggled for breath.

Ben kept pulling up on the leash, only allowing relief if Raph jumped into the cage. With an inward whimper, Raph finally gave into the pressure and climbed into the car and into the awaiting cage.

Ducking his head down low, he turned quickly, hoping to be able to escape before the door was locked. He was only halfway around when he heard the small click of the bolt being slid into place.

"It's alright." Ben murmured. He leaned against the cage, looking down at Raph. "That's a good boy."

Raph could only growl.

"You know, I own a rehabilitation place for abused animals – I help them gain a humans trust and then adopt them out." Ben explained, half to himself, half to Raph.

"Let me out!" Raph howled. "Now!" but of course, it only came out as a long howl, no human sounds even noticeable.

"Kevin and you should get along just fine." Ben smiled before slamming the car door shut.

Raph pressed himself against the cage door, frantically searching for a way out. "Shell, where's fingers when you need em?" he pawed at the cage door, hoping for a weak spot. There was none.

With an aggravated howl, he collapsed to the cage floor, curling up on the towel. The Milk Bones sat mere inches from his nose and with a grunt, he shoved them away with one forepaw. He could feel his bushy tail curl around him. His body started to shake.

_Please, I just want to go home. I just want to see my brothers again…please just let me out!_

* * *

The car rumbled to a stop, the engine dying down from its loud hum. Raph perked his ears, straining for any sound. He could hear Ben get out of the car, the door slam, and several voices outside. Finally, there was a crunch of gravel as the footsteps got closer.

Then the door opened.

"Oh my goodness, you were right!"

Raph groaned, shoving away from the cage door was a woman's voice giggled.

"He's so cute! Oh my, just look at those markings! He's magnificent…no, he's more than that! Just look at him, he's breathtaking."

"He's a dog mom."

Perking his ears, Raph strained forward at the sound of a young teens voice. Outside there was a young boy wearing cargo jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. Both hands were rammed deep into the side pockets as dark green eyes glared out from under a red and white cap.

"But look at him Kevin, he's beautiful." The woman knelt down, grabbing the bars as she peered at Raph with excited brown eyes.

Raph backed up. "Okay lady, just a little too close."

"Kevin, look at these markings on him."

The boy let out a loud, huffing breath, but got done next to his mother anyway. His green eyes peered in at Raph with boredom. "Oh wow." He muttered. "Another dog who is so amazing…mom, he's just a dog."

"Kevin," Her brown eyes glared at her son. "He's just a poor little thing. Show some compassion, please! You weren't like this when old Duke was around."

"Mom, Duke was my dog." Kevin hissed.

She sighed, letting two fingers pinch her forehead. "Baby, we've been through this. There was nothing we could have done…nothing. Duke was not our dog. Now, don't dwell in the past and focus on the task at hand. We need to get this poor thing up and about."

Raph cocked his head as the sound of another set of footsteps. There were much heavier – Ben.

"What do you think of him Rebeca?" Ben asked his wife.

Rebeca stood up, brushing a lock of brown hair from her eyes. "He's amazing. He could be one of the best, I mean, he just looks show quality."

"Show quality?" Raph snorted, earning a strange look from the boy. "Whatever."

"Kevin, will you please go prepare one of the dog runs?" Rebeca asked. "Nipper was just adopted a few days ago."

Kevin let out another heavy sigh, letting his hat fall low over his eyes. He was tired off being near so many dogs and adopting them out, that he was sick of not being able to own one himself. Every dog that he got attached to was quickly adopted out.

He was sick of loving a dog then watching it leave.

"Sure mom." Kevin muttered as he kicked up a stone, making his way down a trail.

Rebeca pulled out a loose piece of knotted leather and reached in, carefully slipping it around Raph's neck.

"Of course, let the woman do it." Raph muttered as he hopped down from the cage and onto the gravel. The rocks and small stones dug between his paws, causing him to wince. "I can't bite a woman – just like I can't punch them either."

Looking around, he felt himself start to shake when he saw where he was. He was out in the country, in a place surrounded by trees and acres of land. Raph shook his head and turned ahead. Before him was one of the biggest barns he'd ever seen.

It was two stories, white with a dark brown roof. There was a large set of sliding doors and behind it was several dogs barking and howling. Stretching out on both sides of the barn, going for miles, were dog runs.

Dogs paced in high, chain link fence dog runs. At the same end was a covered area with a doghouse underneath and on soft sand. Straw was used as bedding for the doghouses and blankets were lying around. The sandy area went on for six feet before the sand turned to grass and stretched out, giving the dog plenty of room to run.

There were some dogs that shared a run, barking and playing with each other. Several stood curiously, watching Raph. Each dog, Raph noted, wore an identical loose leather collar, of four different colors, blue, red, green, and white. Some dogs wore two different collars.

"Which collar would he need?" Kevin called out from inside a small shack. "And what size."

Ben knelt down, gently feeling Raph's furry neck. "Large and blue." He yelled. "Also grab a white too."

"Speak English!" Raph barked, prancing. He needed to know what was going on… he needed to find a way to get out.

Kevin walked back to the group, dangling two collars, blue and white, from his hands. With gentle hands and ease, he placed each collar on Raph's neck.

"There ya go." The boy grunted. "Blue means male and red means female. Green means you've been adopted and white means you're not yet available for adoption. If you only have on a red or blue collar that means you're still adoptable." He turned to his father with a sigh. "Did I get it right?" he puffed.

"Yes son, you did." Ben chuckled. "You can go now."

"Finally." Kevin about bolted away, towards the safety of the large house.

Ben looked after him sadly, exchanging looks with his wife. He affectionately rubbed Raph's pointed ears.

"He didn't always used to be that way Ben." Rebeca said in a low tone.

"I know. He wasn't the same after Duke got taken away." He jerked his head back at the glare. "Rebeca, there was nothing I could have done. Duke wasn't our dog – they he belonged to another family."

"We should have at least tried to buy Duke back." Rebeca insisted.

Raph didn't need dog instincts to tell him that a fight was about to happen.

"Duke was not our dog."

"But Kevin adored him!"

"So did they! It wouldn't have been fair to them. They found their dog after five months of searching and proved it over and over. Duke is gone now, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"We should at least let him get another dog." murmured Rebeca. "He needs a friend. You know how he is at school…"

"He doesn't want another dog." Ben let out a heavy sigh. "We're just going to have to wait and see how things turn out. Right now, we have this handsome fellow to deal with."

Raph flinched away at the man running his hands down his back. "Don't touch me." He growled.

"Easy now." Ben held out his hand for Raph to sniff. "He needs a name."

"Why don't we let Kevin name him?" Rebeca grabbed one of Raph's paws, gently feeling around for injuries. "He deserves a good name and he knows quite a few."

Ben nodded. "Okay." Standing up, he grabbed the leash from his wife's hands. "Come on boy."

Raph braced himself, spreading his front paws forward. "No way pal – you come on."

Rebeca gave him a push from behind. "Go on now."

"No way!" growling, Raph jerked up, trying to jar the leash loose from the hands. The collar on his throat tightened with each jerk, rubbing the fur away, but he kept at it. "Let go of me!"

"Mom, don't shove!"

All heads jerked around as Kevin jogged towards them. He had taken off his hat, showing off blond, shaggy hair. Pushing a lock from his green eyes, he took the leash from his father.

"I thought you were going into the house." Ben sounded amused.

"He doesn't like cages dad." Kevin replied.

A raised eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Just look at him. He wasn't an outdoor dog. Mom is right, he looks more show dog than anything. He doesn't need to be kept outside…he needs a different place."

"Like inside?" Rebeca folded her arms across her chest.

"…."

"Kevin," Ben reached out, shoving a lock of hair from his son's eyes. "You know we can't. We'd just get attached with him closer to us - " he stopped talking at the almost pleading look in his son's eyes. "Where would he sleep?" he sounded defeated, like he'd just lost World War 3.

"In the kitchen." Kevin replied instantly. "Come one dad, we've done it with several other dogs before."

"Yes, but all those dogs were harder to let go too." Ben pointed out. He turned and rolled his eyes. Rebeca was giving him the same look. "Fine, he can sleep inside."

"Inside?" Raph barked. "What the shell? I ain't sleeping in no kitchen…no, I'll take the couch thanks."

"He likes the idea." Rebeca smiled.

"Better than outside." Figuring it wasn't a good idea to argue anymore, Raph followed behind Kevin, holding his head high. He wasn't a pet and he was going to show them that.

* * *

"Off the couch!" Rebeca pointed to the floor, where a large old rug lay before the fireplace. "Now!"

Raph calmly looked at her. "Make me."

"Now." She tried to keep her voice even, but Raph could see she was rapidly loosing the war. "No dogs are allowed on my couch."

"I'm not a dog so therefore, I don't count." Raph barked.

Rebeca jumped back a foot, a hand flying to her chest. "Don't you bark at me, young man." She pointed again, a hint of frustration in the gesture. "Don't make me regret letting you in here."

Raph cocked his head to the side. "Um, lady, seriously, watcha going to do about it? Force a hundred pound dog off the couch? One with razor sharp teeth too?"

"Mom, just leave him alone." Kevin leaned against the doorway, an amused look on his face. "He obviously is used too sleeping on the couch."

"I don't care if he's used to eating off the table! He's not going to get away with that behavior in my house!" She screeched.

Ben stepped in behind his son, watching with an amused face. "Honey, just leave Houston alone."

"Houston?" she half turned as Raph perked his ears.

"That's what we're calling him." Kevin confirmed. "Houston."

"That's a nice name."

"No! It's a horrible name!" Raph tilted his head back, letting his vocal chords be known.

"I think he likes it." Kevin chuckled.

"No, I don't! Undo my name right now!"

"Easy there Houston…easy there." Ben gestured with both hands towards Raph.

"Can Houston please get off my couch now?" Rebeca turned towards Ben with pleading eyes. Even she knew better than to mess with a large, angry dog.

"Come on boy. Down." Ben said firmly.

"How about no."

"Come on Houston." Kevin snapped his fingers.

Raph perked his head, letting one ear twist around. He could sense that the boy would do something…he would let him get away with stuff Ben and Rebeca wouldn't. With a shake just to tick off the woman, he jumped down off the couch and walked to Kevin's side, looking up expectantly at him.

"What now kid?" he barked. "It's bed time. Where's the bed?"

"Look at that." Ben murmured. "Houston seems to like him."

Kevin only nodded. Several dogs seemed to know him better than he even knew himself…he loved dogs cause they wouldn't judge you for anything. Not for what you were wearing, or how you looked.

They loved a person because they were them. Not for hiding behind expensive makeup or fancy clothes.

But just for them.

And that's one of the many things that separated a dog from a human.

Dogs don't judge.

Dogs love.

* * *

**Please review!**

**

* * *

Hey everyone out there! I'm hoping this will get lots of responses!  
**

**"Art Contest: I am looking for an artistically-inclined collaborator to turn one of my current fics into a comic series. To enter, create a scene based from one of my stories, Through A Dog's Eyes, No Matter What, Combined Terror or the Behind Bars series which includes Caged, Imprisoned and Jailed. PM me your DA account link or the files. Enter as many times as you wish.**

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**On my profile page is a link to my Deviant account.  
**


	5. Chapter 4 School Protection

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy please!**

* * *

"Here's where you sleep boy." Kevin motioned towards the rug at the side of his bed. Raph curled up his lip at the sight of it.

It was an ugly, old-fashioned oval rug with scratchy yarn woven together. The color was a boring brownish color.

"Go on boy." Kevin knelt down and patted the rug. "Houston, come on."

Raph snorted, turning his head. "I am not laying on that."

"Come on boy." Kevin moved towards Raph, a frown on his face. "Where did you live that they treated you so royally?"

"I slept on a hammock in the sewers kid. Not what I would call royalty, but whatever." He turned his sharp amber eyes towards the large queen sized bed. "But I'll take that."

Kevin placed a hand on Raph's snout. It took Raph a second to remember that whatever he said came out as a bark, howl, or growl. Not human words.

"This sucks." He declared.

"You guys all ready for bed?" Rebeca stuck her head into the room.

"Houston won't lay down." Kevin shot the dog a glare.

"Kevin won't let me have his bed." Raph shot the boy the same glare.

Rebeca chuckled at the sight. "You too look so cute." She smiled.

"We don't look cute mom." Kevin protested with a roll of his eyes. "Stop talking like we're two."

"Yeah." Raph growled.

She just shook her head. "Night you too." And she withdrew, closing the door shut behind her. Kevin looked at Raph.

"Now what?"

"We go to bed." Raph barked. With ease, he propelled himself forward with s ingle leap, landing easily on the bed. The warm covers felt good under his paws so he quickly collapsed, curling himself into a ball. His tail curled over his nose.

"Hey!" Kevin glared. "Off my bed."

"No." Raph didn't bother to raise his head.

"Come on." Kevin grabbed Raph's collars, heaving himself backwards.

Raph barely budged and inch, the boy's skinny frame having no muscle behind it. He flicked his ear irritably. "Leave me alone."

Kevin hushed him. "Listen Houston. This is my bed, got it? I sleep on the bed, you get the floor."

"No."

* * *

Kevin glared, curling himself in his sleeping bag on the floor. The dog had refused to move. Food, treats and toys he didn't even blink at but he seemed determined to sleep on the bed. With a groan, he shut his eyes, trying to ignore the hard wooden floor under him.

No wonder they don't like to sleep on the floor. This thing is harder than a rock." Kevin muttered. A chill rushed through him, and his teeth chattered.

Raph pricked his ears, hearing the sounds of teeth clashing against each other. The boy on the floor, Kevin, was shivering under the covers. Raph had to smirk at the sight.

_Now he knows how I feel. But I can' just leave him down there._ His own fur was fluffed up, warding off any chill. He was amazed by his new body. The dog in him seemed to know everything about everything. When the chill was coming, where to be, he could sense fear, feel another ones pain. It was crazy fro him. But nice…definitely nice.

He couldn't wait to get back to his brothers. Don would know what to do – he could cure him. Now all he had to do was escape from the crazy family and get home.

Wherever home was.

He was definitely not in the city anymore, but somewhere in the country it seemed. He hoped not too far away. He needed to get home.

He had to get home.

The boy's chattering increased, the covers trembling as the boy shivered violently.

_I'll never get any sleep with him doing that_, Raph thought, annoyed. _Might as well let him in the bed._

With a grunt, he heaved himself to his paws and jumped off. Landing silently on the floor he padded over to the Kevin. Forgetting he had no hands, he raised his front paw and tried to shake boy.

"Shell." Raph cursed as his paw slipped off the covers.

Kevin turned, surprised to see Houston behind him. "Hey boy." He sat up and reached out his hand.

Raph growled, ducking out of way from the hand. "Sorry kid. No touching this turtle." Turning his head, he jerked it towards the bed then back towards Kevin.

"Oh, now you let me?" Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Yep." Raph barked.

Kevin shook his head, laughing. "Stupid dog." Quickly uncovering himself, he flung himself into bed, afraid the dog would change his mind. Peeling away the covers he dove under them then quickly tucked them up to his chin. A relieved sigh escaped him as warmth flooded over him.

Raph jumped up, deciding that the bed was large enough for the both of them, Curling back up into his ball at the end of the bed, he closed his eyes.

Wait.

Eyes snapping back open, he stood back up. Something wasn't right with the bed.

He circled, trying to find the reason. After about three times around, he spotted it.

"There you are." Using one paw, he smoothed out the wrinkle in the sheets. Then he fell back down.

This is better. Much better.

Kevin chuckled, watching as Raph circled. He'd seen dogs do it before; circling the bed until they found the right spot to lie down. "That good boy?"

Raph closed his eyes, ignoring Kevin. Of course it was good. He wouldn't settle for anything less.

With a flip of a switch, Kevin shut off the small lamp on the bedside table and the room flooded into darkness.

* * *

Sunlight crept into the room, flooding through the glass windows and through the light blue curtains. Kevin still slept soundly, the blankets rising and falling with each breath. Raph was spread out at the end of the bed, his legs twitching in his sleep.

"Good morning sleepy heads!"

Raph's eyes sprang open as a loud bark escaped his throat. His ears were pinned flat to his head and his neck fir bristling.

"Morning Houston. Kevin, time to get up." Ben stood in the doorway, dressed in a pair of overalls.

Kevin groaned, automatically throwing his pillow over his head and pressing it down over his ears.

"Kevin, you'll be late for school."

"Don't care." Kevin mumbled.

Raph shook his head as sleep left him. He'd hoped it had all been just a bad dream and when he woke up, he'd be back in his hammock and Leo would be pounding on the door, demanding he get up for training. He wanted to hear Mikey preparing breakfast in the kitchen and Don tinkering in the lab. He wanted to hear the sound of the kettle whistling in the kitchen, announcing Splinter's tea was done.

But he didn't hear anything but the sound of Kevin moaning under his pillow and Ben's urging to get up. Raph was about to growl when a sweet aroma hit his nose.

Breakfast.

With a loud bark, he flew off the bed and down the hall. The hallway was carpeted, allowing a firm grip for his paws.

_Stairs? Where the shell are the stairs?_

Raph turned another hallway, seeing the descending staircase. He let out a bark as he paused at the top step and looked down.

"Go on boy." Ben urged from behind Raph. "They're just stairs." he knelt down.

"How the shell am I supposed to get down these!" Raph howled. The temptation of standing up there until they just brought him breakfast was tempting but he knew better. Ben would just carry him down the stairs and he would not reduce himself to that.

Trembling, he carefully placed the first paw down.

He was going to fall…he just knew he was going to fall.

He'd survived the Foot, Shredder, Elite, Purple Dragons, Hun and crazy aliens and he was going to perish walking down the stairs.

"Life sucks." He growled, annoyed.

But to his surprise, his body seemed to know what to do. As if in fluid motion, he glided down the wooden steps, each leg working together. With a few seconds, he'd reached the bottom.

"There now." Ben smiled, climbing behind Raph. "That wasn't so bad, huh Houston?"

"Well duh." Raph snorted. "They're just stairs. And my name is Raph, not Houston." He padded into the kitchen, nose in the air as he sought out the smell. On the table were three steaming plates filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast and fresh filled cups of orange juice. Maple syrup sat in a small bottle, along with a tub of butter. Rearing up, he put both front paws on the table. Mouth watering, he stretched his muzzle forward.

"Down!"

Raph yelped as something hit him, hard, on the tail. Growling, he spun around, looking for whatever had hit him.

Rebeca stood behind him, a broom held firm in her hands like Don would hold his Bo.

"No!" she scolded. "No table food for you."

"Don't hit me lady!" growled Raph. Nobody hit him without paying for it.

"Do you need to go potty boy?" Ben called out, looking at Raph.

_Potty? Did he just say potty?_ Disbelief thudded in his chest. _He did not just ask me if I needed to go potty.  
_  
With a heave, Ben hauled Raph out the door and outside into the cool grass, slamming the door shut behind him.

The cool blades of grass felt good beneath Raph's paws. He turned, feeling his muscles stretch with each paw step. His long legs carried him around the area as he explored his area. He was sure he could find a weak spot in the chain link fence that surrounded the house.

A funny feeling ran through his stomach and Raph balked at the feeling. He did need to go to the bathroom….bad.

"Shell, where's the toilette?" Paling, he realized what they expected him to do. "Aw shell."

Looking around, he found a private spot behind an old barrel. Hurrying behind it, and making sure no one watched, he relieved himself. When he was done, he walked out from behind it, head ducked in humiliation. He would rather face the wrath of Splinter any day.

"Houston!"

Raph raised his head at Kevin's voice and felt his tail start to wag at the sound of Kevin's voice.

_Wait…what the shell am I doing?_ He didn't know it but he could feel the dog inside of him. He was acting like a dog every time he wagged his tail or let the woman push him around.

Ears burning, he followed Kevin into the house. His stomach growled at him, reminding him of how hungry he was. Raph looked longingly at the table full of food.

"Here's your stuff boy." Kevin dipped a measuring cup into a large green bag and filled up and plastic dog dish. A few scoops later, he set the bowl on the floor beside another one and took his place at the table with Ben and Rebeca.

Padding up to the bowl, Raph looked inside. His tail drooped at the sight.

Small, brown pellets sat in the bottom. A nasty smell drifted up and Raph quickly backed up before he could inhale it. He was not eating that.

"It's good for you." Kevin looked wordily at Raph, his mouth half filled with toast.

"Then you eat it." Raph growled, shoving away the bowl with one paw.

"Dad, mom?"

"Seems he's a picky eater." Ben commented. "Let him go hungry long enough, he'll eat it." And he went back to reading the newspaper.

"Don't bet on it."

* * *

"This is nuts." Bebeca muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief as Raph inhaled a bowl of her warmed up meatloaf, five days later.

"I've only seen a dog last two days. Never five." Ben said.

"He's special." Commented Kevin, watching Raph greedily gulped down a large slice.

"Apparently." Ben looked over at his son. "Ready for school today?" he glanced over at the clock that read six in the morning. They all got up early to take care of the dogs and he drove Kevin at seven.

"No." Kevin buried his face in his arms.

"Why not?"

"Cause of Billy and Zack."

"Those two again?" Rebeca rested her hand on Kevin's blue t-shirt. "I thought we'd dealt with them?"

"We had. They're back now."

"Well son," said Ben. "You'll just have to stick up for yourself. You can't let them push you around."

"I don't." growled Kevin. "They don't push, dad. They punch."

"Well don't worry son." Ben smiled grimly. "They're only bullies."

* * *

Raph hoped in the car with Ben seven hours later. Ben had agreed to let Raph ride with him to pick up Kevin from school. Raph had hated that he'd had to wear a leash and collar but he knew that he had no choice.

Especially since he knew the school was in the city.

"Here we are boy." Ben pulled up in front of a large school building. Several other cars were parked outside

Raph tensed as Ben opened the car door to let him out. He firmly grasped the leather leash in one hand.

"Let go!" Raph cocked his head as kids swarmed out of the building. There was a faint, desperate voice inside, barely heard above the noise chatter of the hundreds of kids. He looked up, seeing if Ben had heard.

The man had not, his brown eyes scanning the crowds for Kevin.

"Please let go!"

Raph felt every ounce of him tense up and his neck fur start to rise. That was Kevin!

"Please!"

Raph could feel his heart start to beat wildly in his chest. Kevin's voice…it sounded like Mikey.

"Kevin!" With a roar, he threw himself against the leash. Ben let go with a startled gasp, falling heavily. Raph charged upwards, dodging around girls and guys. The girls screamed, ducking behind and friends and guys. Some of the boys laughed and cheered Raph on as he threw himself up the steps and into the building.

The school looked like a maze of classrooms and lockers. Raph paused, ignoring screams and cheers from kids.

_Where are you Kevin?_ Raph took a few steps in one way, raising his nose to the air to get a good sniff. There was mixture of smells from perfume and body spray to chewing gum and even whiffs of smoke from a cigar.

"We need to teach ya a lesson punk. Hold still…"

Every fur on his body was raised up as Raph galloped down the hallways, following the whimpers of Kevin and the sick chuckles of bullies. There…

There were two boys holding a cowering Kevin up by his shirt. One had a black hair tied in a ponytail that rested down his back. The other one had a blonde army cut hairdo. Both were wearing all black and both had the small glaring blue eyes. The one with black hair had Kevin up by his shirt, he fist raised back.

"Let go." Raph snarled. He knew the boys couldn't understand him but the sign of a snarling dog should be enough.

"Whoa, check out the mutt." The one with the army cut hair jeered.

"Houston!" Kevin's voice held his relief.

"Put the boy down." He took a threatening step forward, tail lashing from side to side.

The boys only laughed. Raph had had enough.

With a loud growl, he launched himself at the boys.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**Also, to anyone who is reading my fic, No Matter What, please let me know if you would like to see a sequel! And if you do, would you like to see them as kids, teenagers, or as something else?**

**Thanks!**

**~raphfreak  
**


	6. Chapter 5 Blond Furred Beauty

**Sorry for not updating this sooner. I've been working on this chapter for quite a few days now with writers block so I hope this lives up to your expectations. Thanks to Mikell and Raph's No. 1 Girl! **

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"Well son, there's no penetration point and no sign of blood on either of you two or the dog." The officer stood up, backing away two paces from the ambulance truck.

"But we saw it!" Billy howled as a nurse felt over his sprained wrist. "That dog attacked us in cold blood!"

"The dog's a freak like his owner!" Jeered Zack, glaring daggers at Kevin and Raph.

Raph growled, letting his fur rise as Kevin held him back by his collars. Billy cringed as Zack pointed an accusing finger at Raph. "See? See?"

The officer shot Raph one look before returning his face to the two teenagers. "From what I can see, the dog was just protecting his master."

"He attacked us!"

"He defended me." Kevin spoke up, protecting Raph. "They were about to punch me when Houston came in and tacked them to the ground. He didn't bite them or anything."

"I see…"

"But he attacked us!" Billy seemed determined to make the whole world know of his bad luck. "My parents are going to sue you!"

"We'll just see about that." The officer rolled his eyes. "My partner is checking out the schools surveillance cameras to see what happened."

Billy shot Zack a look on a very pale face. Both seemed to know their edge had just been destroyed.

Raph put his body in front of Kevin, watching the boys with haunting amber eyes. Not one of them was going to make any movements without him knowing about it and not one of them was going to lay another hand on Kevin without him seeing it.

Kevin may not be my master, but I'm still a ninja. And that means I need to protect him.

"The Kevin-kid was right." A second officer jogged from the building a few minutes later, a DVD in his hand. "I have the copy of it right here, in case of a lawsuit."

"So the dog didn't attack the boy?"

"The dog - "

"Houston." Both officers turned to Kevin. The boy blushed before speaking in a softer voice. "His name is Houston."

"Alright, Houston, did charge in as these two," he jerked a finger at the two pale-faced troublemakers. "Were about to punch young Kevin here. From the tape, Houston growled at them to back down but he refused, so he jumped them. No blood or anything, just lots of screaming and growling."

Kevin grinned broadly at his father as Ben stood behind his son; a hand on his should comfortingly. Ben nodded at the officers. "So are we free to go?"

The officer nodded, offering his hand out to Kevin to shake. "That's some brave dog you have." He commented. Offering his hand out to Raph to sniff, Raph allowed the officer to stroke his head. "If you're not careful, I may just want him." his eyes twinkled in a joking manner.

Raph watched the handshake, but something about the officer didn't feel right to him. The twinkle in his eyes didn't look like he was just joking…he looked almost serious but was trying to mask it with a laugh.

Kevin looked as though his face was going to burst with the praise; the smile on his face was so big. "Thank you officer, but I'm afraid he's my dog."

Ben squeezed Kevin's shoulder. "Why don't you put Houston in the car son?"

Raph willingly followed on Kevin's heals, pleased to be near the boy. He trusted Kevin – the boy already meant something to him.

_Snap out of it Raph! You're turning into a dog – for real!  
_  
Shaking his head, he pushed away the thought. He wasn't choosing a dog life over his normal one, but for once he discovered the freedom that came in the canine form.

Spotting the large truck, he waited for Kevin to open the back doors before hoping in, his muscles easily getting him the short distance into the interior and onto the brown, leather seats. As Kevin closed the back door, leaving the window open a crack, the young boy climbed into the front seat.

"That dog is remarkable."

Raph pricked his ears, listening to Ben and the officer talk together.

"Thank you. I know he is amazing – the markings on him are unique for a dog. I've been obsessed with dogs for over twenty years and never before have I seen a dog with his markings."

"Not only that but the muscles on him are remarkable. He would make a great K9 dog, with a bit of training."

"…you mean like a police dog?"

"Yes." The officer nodded his head. "Do you breed any of your animals."

"Absolutely not." Ben sounded almost shocked at the thought. "We work to adopt animals out. We do not allow our animals to be bred."

"Even if we gave your place a generous donation?" The officer asked, raising an eyebrow. "We would provide the female, all we would need is the male."

"No."

"Are you sure? Imagine the publicity your place would get."

"The answer is no officer." Ben tried to sound firm, but Raph could sense he was slightly wavering. Offering his hand, he shook the firm hand. "But thank you for everything though officer."

The policeman chuckled, shrugging his shoulder.

Raph felt his hackles rise at the police officer. Even though he had on a laughing face, he could tell the officer wasn't pleased at the answer Ben was giving. Good, that means they won't try anything…Raph thought relived. He waited, watching as Ben and the officer exchanged final words before Kevin's father climbed into the truck.

"What did he want dad?"

"Nothing." Ben started the engine, refusing to look at the confused look on his son's face. "He was asking me some things about the program we ran."

Kevin drew in a sharp breath. "Dad…did he want to adopt Houston?"

Ben was silent, guiding the car out of the school parking lot and onto the road.

"Dad?"

"Kevin, he was very impressed by what Houston did today."

Raph puffed out, raising his head. _Well why wouldn't he be? I'm an impressive dog._

Kevin stared forward. He tried to fight back the tears in his eyes. "Is he going to adopt Houston then?"

"No son…at least, not for awhile. Houston is not ready for adoption yet. We still have to take him to the vet, get his shots, give him a check up, and prepare him for a family."

"Oh."

Raph froze, remembering what Ben had said. He himself had been absorbed in the conversation, waiting to hear Ben's answer. He didn't want another "owner". He refused to listen to any police man, let alone be a partner. That's when the rest of the conversation hit him.

_ Did he say vet?_

* * *

"Come on Houston!" Kevin leaned against the leash, pulling with all his might to drag Raph from the backseat of the car.

"You're not getting me in there." Growled Raph, straining hard against the leather around his neck, claws digging deeply into the leather cushion of the seat.

"Maybe he'll take a treat." Ben dug deeply in both pockets before revealing a strange, brown colored bone-shaped dog treat. He held it out to Raph, hoping to coax his from the safety of the car. When Raph turned his nose up at it, Ben frowned. "Or not." Reaching over, he added his weight to the leash.

Choking, Raph wanted to swear at Ben as the weight finally overpowered his dog strength and he was drug to concrete parking lot.

_Think you're taking me easy do you? Well this battle has only just begun._ With a snarl, Raph spun on his hind paws, straining the other way. He could feel his collar cutting off his air supply but he didn't care. There was no way he was willingly going to follow them.

The single story, stone made building beckoned all animal owners through the doors. The smoothed out pathway led from the parking lot and into the double set of glass doors. On either side of the pathway were flowers of multitudes of colors. The bricks that made up the building were a light tan color. On the lawn that surrounded the whole building were lush bushes and trees, each trimmed. The grass was neatly cut. Through the eyes of a human, it looked like the perfect vet office.

But to the animals it was hell.

Raph growled deep in his throat, as he was drug down the path and to  
the doors. With Kevin holding open one door, Ben pulled Raph into the  
cool air-conditioned building.

The white tiled floors were completely spotless. Straight in front was a long desk and to the sides of the building were chairs, each lined up neatly. And almost every chair was full of people from dog to rabbits. There were even people with small mice and loud, obnoxious, screeching birds.

"Here," Ben handed Kevin Raph's taunt leash. "Go have a seat while I fill out some paperwork."

Kevin nodded and headed to a vacant chair. Seated two chair lengths away was a face hidden behind a horse magazine. Sitting perfectly to the side of the skinny, tanned legs, was a pure white German shepherd. The ice blue eyes were starring straight forward, fluffy tail curled over neatly clipped paws. The long white fur that hung down looked  
slick and freshly brushed. Even from a few feet away, the smell of shampoo hit Raph like a punch from Hun.

With a nervous cough, Raph realized escape was pointless by then. The doors had a handle and by the time he could even get to them, half the office would be on him.

"Hey Princess." A dog with a deep voice whistled from the opposite side of the room. Raph snapped his head around to see a Collie. He was pulled against his own leash, trying to get to the she-dog. "Hey babe, check me out." He lifted his narrow muzzle to air.

"Get a life." The she-dog didn't even bother to turn towards him.

"Come on." He had a teasing glint to his black eyes.

"Don't bother." A dog that looked like a cross, somewhere between a Shepherd and a Labrador. "You don't check her out…if you even want a chance, you would have to have a pedigree." He growled.

"Thank you Samson." Her voice was like ice – cold and sharp. Even Raph could feel the faint shiver that ran down his back at her voice.

"Sandra and Amber." An assistant vet stepped out from behind a door labeled One. She held a clipboard in her hand as her eyes scanned the waiting room for her patient.

Raph felt the air change around him and he glanced up to Kevin's face. Instead of the nice pale face the boy had, his face was now a beat read color and he kept his eyes firmly to the ground. He twisted the leash nervously between his hands.

Raph looked back over at Sandra and the girl. Even he had to admit she was beautiful with light brown hair that fell to her wait, glowing green eyes, and a perfect smile. She had just the right amount of makeup on her to make her eyes stand out.

"Come Sandra." Amber jerked gently at the leash at the she-dog stood up obediently. "Oh, hi Kevin." She smiled, just noticing the young boy sitting beside her.

With a snicker, Raph watched the young boys face. He had no idea a human could get that color.

"H…hey Amber." The boy gulped, his eyes straying up to her face.

She gave him a gentle smile before looking down at Raph. "Oh Kevin," she breathed, "He's beautiful. What's his name?"

"Houston."

"Sandra and Amber!" The lady snapped out.

Amber sighed, gently shaking her head. "Well, I got to go. See you around?"

Raph just shook his head at the way Kevin's face lit up. "Yeah…yeah sure."

The pair just disappeared around the corner when another male nurse appeared, nametag reading Jeff. "Kevin and Houston?" his dark eyes landed on Raph and Kevin.

Standing, Kevin jerked the leash. "Come on Houston."

It was one thing to lead him into the building. It was a completely different thing to be led behind the doors.

"No way!" Standing, Raph backed against the leash. Ben was still at the counter, obviously having trouble filling out the mountain of paperwork.

"Come on Houston!" Kevin shot the nurse an apologetic look. "Sorry, this is his first time here."

Jeff gave an easy shrug as he walked towards the pair. "That's alright." Kneeling, he held out his hand, trying to coax Raph towards him. "Come on boy."

With both pulling on the leash, Raph was drug down the hallway and into the room. While Kevin distracted Raph, Jeff quickly scooped up Raph's large form on set it on the steel table set up in the middle of the room.

Shaking, Raph did the only thing he knew he could. He snapped at Jeff's hand, teeth bared.

"Whoa!" Jeff jumped back in the nick of time. "Nice teeth." He commented with a sly smile.

"Sorry." Kevin shot Raph a glare. "Bad dog."

_Whatever._

"So lets do this then."

Raph tensed as he heard the sound of rubber gloves snapping on. With a gulp, he turned towards what Jeff had in his hand. The small white thing in his hand made Raph tuck his tail under him.

_No way in shell are you doing that.  
_  
"What are you doing?" Kevin asked, watching intently.

Jeff smiled as he held up the small device. "I need to take his temperature." He reached for the tucked-in tale.

_You leave him no choice_. Raph thought, waiting for the right moment.

Then he bit him.

* * *

**Well, um, please review :)**

**And for everyone who has read my fic, No Matter What, I'm pleased to say that there will be a sequel due to demands, called Forever Loved.**

**Also, please let me know which fic I should update next. Thanks :P  
**


	7. Chapter 6 Nightmare Vet

**I'm very sorry for the delay on this story. If you talk to any of my friends out there on FF, like Mikell, she'll tell you that I was very close to giving this story up because of the lack of ideas and interest in it for awhile. However, I am going to stick with it, due to demands, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Six Days Before**

* * *

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous." Leo drummed his fingers on the wooden table, listening to the rhythm of the movement. Don sat opposite side of the table, tinkering with a small device on the table before him, armed with a screwdriver, a nail, and lots of patience.

"What is?" Don glanced up.

"Raph is late." Leo growled, once again looking towards the clock, ticking the wall. The sound was taunting him.

"And that surprises you, how?" Leo shot the purple clad turtle a glare, in which he just shrugged in reply with a grin on his face. "I'm just saying."

"But Mikey could be back at any second and Raph swore he'd be here." Protested the leader, once again shooting the clock a death glare.

"Well then I guess we'll just have to fill him in later." Don leaned forward, resting against his folded arms. "So we've decided on Mike's birthday gift?"

Leo nodded. They'd been planning Mikey's birthday for almost a month now. Splinter had agreed to distract the youngest turtle at April's for as long as possible while the other three were supposed to be discussing the secret surprise they had planned out. They'd planned it so that they'd have plenty of time to talk about the big surprise but they all knew eventually April's famous chocolate chip cookies and milk would eventually run out…especially with Mikey eating them at the rate he usually did, which consisted to five cookies a hand. Nobody could protest about it, even Splinter, whom Leo could swear was second in line to April's cookies.

"So have we narrowed down the choices?" Don asked, pulling out his laptop from a leather bag, which was beside him on the floor.

"Nothing too big, like a Mastiff and nothing that will constantly howl, like a Basset Hound."

"What about a Labrador?" Don asked, pulling up a page on .

Leo shook his head. "Too energetic. Besides, they really like water and I don't really like the smell of wet dog." He wrinkled his beak. "Especially if the dog gets into sewer water."

"Okay then…" Don canceled out of the page and pulled up a page filled with large, muscular dogs straining against leather, snow flying up behind them. "What about Siberian Huskies? They're supposed to really loyal dogs."

Shuddering, Leo refused. "Casey said a neighbor had one and his yard was practically covered in dog fur. Nothing that really shed."

With a sigh, Don closed it out. "So what are we looking for in a dog?" He asked.

"Something big enough that will be able to keep up with Mikey and something with enough energy that will be able to keep up with Mike's endless supply. Also a very loyal dog, and one who is a good guard dog." After an afterthought, he added. "And one who's easy to train."

"Well that narrows it down." Don muttered sarcastically. "We have eliminated a total of four dogs out of how many? Thousands?"

Leo rubbed his temples. Who knew picking out a dog could be so much work. "Well then we'd better get started. April said she saw this really pretty dog another day…I think it was called an Australian Shepherd."

Don nodded, quickly typing it into the search engine. A smile slowly lit his face as he read the short paragraph. "Perfect." He smiled. "Medium sized dog, smart, loads of energy, and they don't shed like mad."

"Do they have any?" Leo asked, standing and peering over Don's shoulder.

Don smiled, pointing at the screen, where a list of dogs was being shown. "Yes, right here. Says a litter was just born awhile ago…ready to be adopted soon."

"Then call." Leo said seriously. "Reserve a puppy, if you can."

Quickly pulling out his shell-cell, Don punched in the number from the screen and waited until someone picked up. "Hi…yes, how about you?. ..very well thank you….puppies….yes, the litter….one left? please….young female?" His eyebrow rose at Leo, who grinned. "Sounds good…another five weeks? We'll be there." with a quick farewell, he hung up the line. "We got the last one."

With a relieved sigh, Leo sat back in his chair. "Good, that's one less thing to worry about. Now to find Raph…" he found one fist pounding into the other with a soft thump.

"Ya know Leo, it was probably a good thing he wasn't here." Donny mussed. "Otherwise we might have found ourselves getting Mikey a Bulldog or Pitbull."

Leo chuckled at the thought. "He could try."

Don pulled out his tracker and pushed the small red button. Instantly seven dots appeared, each a different color; black was Splinter, white was Casey, yellow was April, and each of the turtles had their own color. Mikey's orange blip was close to Splinter's black one; the same for the yellow and white dot.

Don counted the purple dot and blue dot, his eyes scanning the small screen for the red dot. With a finger, he gently tapped the screen, praying it was just an error on the programming. When no flashing red blip appeared, Don bit his lip, a frown on his face. "Odd."

"What Don?" Leo glanced up.

"Raph's dot…it's not there."

"What?" Leo once again found himself peering over the purple clad turtles shoulder. He hoped Don had just looked Raph's dot over, but sure enough; there were only six flashing colors on the screen.

"Could be a technical error…" Dom murmured, shaking it gently.

"How many times with Raph has it been an actual technical error?" Leo asked, giving his younger brother a pointed look.

Don shook his head, remembering the many times in the past he'd watched the little red blip disappear and then several hours later they'd be carrying Raph home, a bruised, bloody and unconscious mess after the tracker on his phone was destroyed from a nightly brawl. "Good point." Standing up, he held the tracker in one hand. "Hold on Leo and I'm going to see if I can't locate his last position before the phone went dead from my computer."

"I'll call Mikey and Splinter."

Don nodded before hurrying into his room. Leo pulled out his shell cell and punched in Mikey's number. Holding it to his ear, he waited six rings before the grouchy young tone of Michelangelo could be heard from the other end.

"Hey Leo."

"Are you okay Mike?" Leo instantly sensed the distress in his voice.

"Splinter is making me carry back, ugh…groceries."

Leo chuckled. "Well hand Master Splinter the shell-cell for me Mike."

"You're not going to rescue me?" Mikey whined.

"Michelangelo! Hand me the phone right now, my son, or you and the dojo are going to become very close this week."

Leo held back a fit of laughter as the orange clad turtle held onto the phone for as long as possible, stalling for time against carrying the dreaded bags full of what Leo knew was Splinter's favorite tea, something April usually bought for the elderly rat. A second later the old voice of his sensei replaced the younger, brother.

"Yes my son?"

"Master Splinter, I don't mean to pry Mike away from his…task, but we need him over here."

"Is everything alright over there Leonardo? Donatello hasn't blown up the lair, has he?" Splinter asked, alarmed.

"No father, it's…. it's Raphael. He's missing."

"Missing?" Splinter lowered his voice. "Was he not to join you for your gathering?"

"He never showed up."

"Has Donatello attempted to track him on his…um…object of great design?"

"Yes father." Object of great design? What the shell? Is that what Splinter called all of Don's inventions? Objects of great design? "There's no sign of him anywhere."

"Very well, Michelangelo will be along shortly."

"Thank you sensei." Leo hung up the phone as Don came back into the room, his leather bag slung over his shoulder. "Mike's on his way."

"I'm ready." Don said as he quickly threw some water bottles in his bag, along with a few bags of chips. At Leo's raised eyebrow, Don explained. "have you ever had to listen to Mikey complain for endless hours?"

"Yes…"

"And is it annoying?"

'Yes…"

"And would it be nice not to have to listen to it?"

"Yes…"

Don grinned, putting in one last small bag. "Done." He said right as the front door opened.

"I'm here!" Mikey declared as he charged into the lair.

"Good." Leo sheathed his katanas. His chocolate brown eyes blazed. "Let's go."

* * *

Raph groaned, struggling from the darkness from which he was forced into by sedation. He could still feel the cold steel island table under all his thick fur and the heavy light above him. The steady, rhythm of a hand brushing his side fur brought attention to reality and away from the darkness that threatened to suck him back in.

"Easy boy…easy."

Raph gently flicked up an ear, listening to the heavy breathing of Jeff and the light shuffling of Kevin's clothes.

"Excuse me, it's seems Houston is coming out of it." Kevin interrupted.

"Oh it's okay, I'm about done here anyway."

Raph forced open his heavy eyelids, ready to bite the hand again. _If Jeff got to close to me…if he did anything I'll rip out his throat and shove it in a place where the sun don't shine. _With a heavy sigh, he gave a large yawn, showing off his sparkling teeth and fangs. Forcing his still legs to work, he scrambled to get his paws under him.

"Easy boy."

Raph swung his head around, growling deep in his throat. He couldn't help but notice with a grin how the vet had taken a very large step back and how a nervous sweat broke out over his skin.

"Are you done?" Kevin asked, readjusting his grip on the leather leash.

"Yes, yes…" Jeff asked, opening the door and ushering them out with one hand. "Have a good day young Kevin and…Houston."

Kevin had to literally drag Raph out the door and into the lobby, trying to keep the fangs away from the bandaged hand. "Hey dad.

Ben turned away from the counter with a sigh. He still had the pen in one hand a single sheet in the other. "Are you guys done already?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah dad…we've been here for over an hour." Kevin chuckled at his dad's surprised face. "How many pages do you have left?"

Ben quickly scrawled his signature on the last paper before handing it to the amused recipients. "None." He said proudly. A grin snaked across his face. 'But it seems you have some unfinished business to do." He pointed behind Kevin.

Before the boy even turned, Raph already knew who was. Amber stood behind Kevin with a smile on her pretty features.

"Hi Kevin…"

"Uh…hi, um…Amber." Kevin stammered, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but in the office.

"Are you okay?" She stepped forward, laying a hand on Kevin's arm.

Raph gently nudged the boy's shaking hand. The poor boy was so in love…chuckling, Raph decided to see if he could take up a friendly conversation with the she-dog at the girl's side.

"Hey."

Ice blue eyes turned towards him and Raph could almost feel the gaze burning him through. With a shiver, he sat down and decided not to mess with her.

"What's your name?" she asked, cautiously.

"Raphael."

Sandra cocked her head at the name. "But your human calls you Houston."

"It's a long story." Raph chuckled. "But my real name is Houston. And you must be Sandra."

"I am." With a sniff, she straightened up, giving him a glance. "Ya know…you're not so bad looking for a dog."

"What?" Raph slowly started to back up, fighting down the serious creeps that were sneaking up on him. A dog had it in for him? Mikey would have a cow with that one. "Um, sorry." He resisted the urge to hide behind Kevin's legs. "I'm not interested."

"Oh you aren't?" she sounded unconvinced. With a chuckle, she stood up, allowing her long white tail to brush Raph's side. He shivered, moving away from the touch which only seemed to please her more. "You see, there's just too many mutts and foolish dogs around here that would love just to get one sniff of me…" she chuckled.

Raph moved away further, sensing where this was going. And it disturbed him to no end.

"And I like a dog that can keep his nose to himself…" with a laugh, she slid up to Raph, pressing herself against him. "And I like a dog with papers."

Raph was pretty sure he didn't have any and told her so.

"I see…" she laughed. Amber had finished talking with the nervous Kevin and Sandra followed at her owner's heels. "I'll see you around, Flame-boy."

_Okay_, Raph thought, watching her swaying tail as they walked out the door. _Very creepy._

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed that chapter so please leave a review and let me know if I should continue this and how you like it so far.**

**So please, REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 7 Phone Call Home

Chapter 7

The drive home to the farmhouse was mostly silent. Kevin kept having shivers rake his body, his eyes focused securely out the window in the backseat. Raph was stretched out, his head lying gently on the young boy's legs as he looked up at him with huge amber eyes. He could sense the confusion in the boy…as well as the hope – the spark that he might have something the young, beautiful girl wants.

"She is very pretty." Ben commented, glancing over his shoulder at his son before returning his gaze to the road. "Kevin, are you listening to me?"

"Hmm?" Kevin's eyes shot to meet his fathers in the rearview mirror. "Oh, yeah dad. Very beautiful."

"Son, there's nothing wrong with liking her." Ben said gently.

"Yeah there is." Kevin said in a bitter tone. "When every other boy in the school is after her and you're the weak one – the unpopular one." He turned his face away.

Raph watched the boy with an aching feeling in his heart. The tears that leaked from blue eyes reminded him too much of Mikey, and for a second…it wasn't Kevin crying. It was Mikey.

With a whimper, Raph nosed the boy in the hand, trying to distract the depressing train of thought. Kevin looked down and let a small grin tug at his mouth. Raising one hand, he let it rest on Raph's head.

_This is wrong. I'm not a pet…but I can't just let him cry._ Raph told himself firmly, forcing himself to keep still as salty tears fell on his fur and the hand stroked him.

"So how did Houston do?" Ben finally attempted to break the strained silence again.

_Oh no…_Raph hid under his huge black paws.

Kevin smirked, not noticing Raph's futile attempt to hide. "It was... interesting dad. He bit Jeff, the vet."

"He did?" Ben frowned. They couldn't have dogs biting people. It would ruin their reputation. "Is Jeff okay?" Jeff had been their family's vet for many years, almost since the adoption and rescue center had started.

"He's okay." Kevin bit back a snicker. "He had to sedate Houston with a light sedative to take his temperature. It only kept him out for ten minutes or so…but it was pretty funny dad."

"Son, we can't have Houston biting people." Ben said gently, but in a firm tone.

_Sure you can._ Raph uncovered his eyes, blinking up at Kevin. _Just wait 'til someone tries to stick a thermometer where the sun don't shine and let's see how you handle it._

"He didn't like Jeff, dad." Kevin hugged Raph's neck, glaring up at his father with a burning gaze. "He was just defending himself."

"Son, we can't have him doing that." Ben repeated. "I'm afraid that if he can't control his biting, we'll have to muzzle him."

"No dad!" Kevin shouted as Raph's head shot up at the detested word. Muzzle? There was no way in shell they would get one of those on him alive. With a growl, he backed up in the seat, pressing himself against the leather interior as far as he could go.

"Houston?" Kevin reached out hesitantly with one hand, attempting to soothe Raph when Ben's screeching of the tires, followed by the sharp turn of the wheel had the two in the backseat flying around. Kevin hit the window in the forehead with a grunt. Raph flew into Kevin, his front paw catching in the middle seatbelt and twisting around. With a yelp, Raph jerked back, only to meet a jerk, as the long fabric got tighter, digging into his leg.

"Easy Houston!" Kevin shouted, moving back from the large shepherd's body as it thrashed about, attempting to save his captured paw. Both failed to notice Ben hop from the front seat and tear open the back door, jerking Kevin into the side of the road.

The boy fell down into a ditch with a cry as Ben moved inside the car.

"Easy Houston…easy boy." Ben soothed, reaching for Raph's paw. Raph instantly calmed down, seeing the large man with five fingers.

_Jeez,_ he thought. _Even three fingers right now would do the trick._

"Good boy." Ben furrowed his brows as he untwisted and pulled at the seatbelt until it released the leg and came loose in Ben's hand. Raph jerked away, holding up his paw. It hurt. Ben sighed, holding up the shredded seatbelt.

"This car is falling apart." He muttered.

"What's wrong dad?' Kevin asked.

"This car…the place…Kevin, your mom and I are struggling right now." Ben sheepishly rubbed his head. "Money has been tight ever since taxes were raised and animals now aren't being brought here. Shelters have been overfilled these past years with animals because no one can afford them."

Kevin frowned. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. Raph didn't either, for a matter of fact. "So what are you saying dad? We have to close down the place?"

"Not close down…maybe just lessen everything." Ben said in a soft voice. "We're going to try and do some fundraisers and see how everything goes from there."

"And if it doesn't work?" Kevin held his breath.

Raph watched the man with curious amber eyes. He knew the answer – he knew what would happen. They'd be shut down – the small piece of dog safety from kill shelters would be gone and dogs would once again be at the mercy of the needle and steel-hearted men who had no qualms about ending a life.

Kevin seemed to know the answer too. Looking down, he shuffled his feet, kicking up dirt. "Where would we go?"

"The city. Your mom…your mom has already started to look for a job there. An old friend of mine has offered to give me a job in his store if I had to move."

"So we'd move to the city?"

"Yes."

The city… Raph couldn't help the whimper of relief that escaped his throat. The city was where his brothers were – where Donny was – the one who could fix this problem. Closing his eyes, he gave a sigh of relief.

But as a palm pressed to the top of his head, Raph instantly felt guilt. _I have a family to go too – but can I really leave this one? Kevin – he depends on me to be his_ _friend. He'd be broken hearted if I left._

_My family._

_Or a little boy's heart._

The thought burned through his mind for the rest of the day. He ignored the helping of meat Kevin had secretly tossed to him and laid there on the floor all through diner – ignoring the stomach pains and focusing on his painful heart and the decision he knew he would have to make.

His large head rested on black paws, his fluffy tail curled around him to shelter him from an invisible chill. Large ears were pressed against his head and his eyes were wide open, staring at nothing.

He couldn't choose – it wasn't fair to him or to Kevin. The poor boy needed a friend. Someone that would always be there. Raph already knew that Kevin saw him as his best friend – every night, when they would lay down in the bed, Kevin would whisper his days thought and his heart's desires.

And Raph remembered every one of them too.

Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be sleep's prisoner as he let himself fall from reality and into the land of dreams.

And nightmares.

* * *

_A black hawk – a bird of prey – let loose a loud, piercing screech that had Raph's ears flat to his head. All around him was the vast city of New York._

_Except there was no one there – the irritated drives and bellowing babies were silent. The smell of gas and oil fumes were gone, replaced by nothing. Even as Raph inhaled deeply, trying to pick up a familiar scent, there was nothing. No hot dog smells – no smoke from factories or those from a cigar, which often hung from a teen's mouth._

_There was nothing but vast, empty nothingness._

_A sharp cry – a familiar cry – had Raph's head shooting upwards and his ears perked. He took a few hesitant paw steps forward, straining to hear where the source of noise came from. Another scream and Raph darted forward, claws clicking across the cement and paws carrying him fast and quickly, and to an alley – a darkened place that had Raph's every warning bell on high alert._

_There, in the corner of the alley, Raph could make out to hunched over figures. Cautiously padding forward, he could see that they were leaning over something. A large something. _

_All needs for silence were shot as Raph galloped forward, eyes wide when he saw the green skin on all three figures. Shooting between the legs of two, Raph's slid to a stop, eyes wide at the motionless figure below him. To the figures standing, he seemed that they couldn't feel or sense him – he was invisible._

_The bloodstained orange mask – the lifeless blue eyes staring upwards. The blood oozing from a deep cut on the throat. _

_Raph wanted to look away – to tear his eyes from the scene of his baby brother, dead, before him, his neck slit like a piece of meat. But he couldn't._

_Instantly he felt rage build up in his soul, surrounded by a flame that screamed for revenge – to take the life of the one who had taken his baby brothers. He forced his eyes to roam the rest of his brother's bloodied body, looking for any other injuries so that when he met the killer, he could pay him back ten-fold. What he did see, however, was that his baby brother had aged greatly. There were scars on the turtle's body, old and faded now, but Raph didn't recognize then and by the way they looked, they had been there for several years._

_His baby brother had aged…he didn't look young like Raph remembered him last. He looked much, much older. His amber eyes flickered upwards towards his other two –_ _his older two grieving brothers – and he saw that they were older as well. Raph wondered how long he'd been gone._

"_Leo, look." Don sobbed, pointing._

_Raph looked towards where the purple-banded turtle was pointing and saw a thin sheet of white paper clutched tightly in Mike's limp fist. _

_He wanted to reach forward – he wanted to read it – to grasp his little brother's hand and cry over him. But dogs don't cry._

_Raph watched as Leo reached forward and grasped the limp green hand and with a shaky hand, unfolded it. His eyes widened and he paused before reading it aloud._

_Life is nothing without my big brother. Hold on Raphie…I'm coming. Wait for me._

* * *

There was a sudden pain in his side as Raph's eyes sprang open and a large yelp escaped him. The first thing he saw was the bedpost and the edge of the dark blue bed sheet. The cold wooden floor beneath him shocked him into reality as he scrambled to his paws – trying to sit up. His fur was damp from sweat and his breathing heavy.

"Houston?" Kevin murmured, his voice heavy with sleep. "Ya okay boy?"

Raph let his nose gently touch the boys dangling hand, letting him know he was okay. A soft snore a second later told him the touch had reassured the boy enough to make him fall back asleep. Raph took a deep breath.

_Calm down Raph…it was just a dream. Mikey's okay. I haven't been gone that long. He won't do anything…Leo and Don won't let him. He's okay…he's okay._

Still Raph couldn't convince himself. He had to know…somehow. A thought – a dumb idea – hit his head. He couldn't believe he was about to do what he was going to do, but he was.

Padding over to the corner where Kevin's book bag was, he nosed inside the open the pouch and retrieved the red, larger than most, cell phones. Grabbing it gently between his powerful jaws, he nosed open the cracked door and went into the darkened hallway.

A small nightlight was the only source of light as Raph looked around. Raising his nose to the air, he sniffed around, trying to find a private place to, "make his call".

_The bathroom_, he decided. He could close the door, but he would have to use the downstairs one. Quickly taking the stairs, he went into the pale blue bathroom and quietly nosed closed the door.

Dropping the phone on the fluffy bathroom rug, he looked at the screen and the tiny numbers and then to his large, clumsy paws and thick claws.

_Shell, this is going to be harder than I thought._

Using one paw, he gingerly lifted it into the air and placed one paw carefully on the pad of the phone, letting his thickest claw rest on the number he wanted. After several tries and after having to start over countless times, he finally dialed out the number he wanted.

Looking in satisfaction at the number on the glowing screen, he placed his claw on the last number and pressed down carefully, hitting talk.

"Hello?" the sleepy voice of Michelangelo made Raph's fluffed up fur visibly relax. "Dude's, do you know what time it is?"

_I don't care Mike._ Raph thought ruefully. _Thank goodness you're safe._

"Okay, if this is some kinda joke, it's not funny. And if ya know what's good for you, you won't call this number again."

Raph let out a small whine, feeling the ache of not being able to talk back – not being able to tell him where he was and that he was okay.

"Um…hello? Raph?"

He couldn't help himself, but let out a small bark.

"Um, okay. Uh listen here dude…er, dog – don't call back, okay? I have more important matters to deal with in the morning."

There was a click, signaling the hang-up of the call. Raph looked over the phone, feeling the aching feeling in his heart return at the small flashing "ended call".

_I'm coming bro,_ Raph curled up on the small rug, around the phone. It was the only way he could be close to his brothers – even if it was by phone.

_I'm coming._

_

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_**A/N: Read and review, please!**


	9. Chapter 8 Fate's Blue Eyes

**I just want everyone to know that this fic won't have a lot of Raph's brothers in it till more of the end, but this fic is based on Raph. Thanks!  
All OC's belong to me, TMNT do not. If you don't know, ask - and ask before using!**

* * *

"Hey there Mike." Leo said softly to his younger brother as he stumbled into the kitchen later that morning. Leo was hovering over a heating kettle of water, waiting for it to whistle. He let out a low whistle as Mike collasped into a chair and let his head fall into his arms with a groan. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No." Mikey moaned, the sound muffled in his arms.

"What happened?" Leo asked as the kettle let out the high-pitched whistle he was waiting for. Grabbing a hotpad, he quickly removed it from the heated burner, and let the steel rest on the counter as he turned off the stovetop.

"I got a call." he mumbled.

"From Raph?" Leo turned excitedly. He hadn't seen any of the turtle for awhile...he firgured he was out with Casey.

"Not unless Raph turned into a dog behind our backs."

Disappointed, Leo turned back and fixed his tea before joining Mike at the table. He frowned into his swirl of herb leaves and powdered water. "Did you call Casey and April?"

Mikey nodded faintly. "Twice. Neither of them have seen him for a few days."

Leo looked up as Donatello walked in. His Bo staff was missing from the back of his shell. The purple-banded turtle nodded a greeting before pouring himself a cup of steaming coffee.

"Donny?" Leo didn't even try to mask his hopeful tone.

"I looked Leo..." Don met his brown eyes. "There's nothing. His shell cell is missing and his coat is missing from his room, meaning he went out. He didn't attend the meeting we had so I assume he went missing that morning." His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his beak, burning under Leo's glare.

"What meeting?" Mikey looked up.

Don ducked his head as Leo cleared his throat. "Nothing Mike...we were just talking about costs and stuff."

"Oh." Burrowing his eye ridges, Mike frowned. "Why wasn't invited?"

Don looked up, trying to appear calm. "Because Mikey. I don't think you really care about Splinter's meds and us keeping up on costs."

"And Raph does?"

Leo chuckled. "He's got you there Donny."

Don thought fast. "He needed to stop wasting so much money on gas for his bike."

"What about my games?" If Mikey could panic, he was about to.

"Your games are free to us Mikey." Don soothed quickly. "I download them all offline."

"I thought that stuff was illegal." Leo starred at Don.

Don shook his head, rolling his eyes. "So is tapping off power from the main power line. So is stealing food. And let's not mention killing..."

Leo held up both hands in mock surrender. "Okay! Okay! I get it."

Don smirked before turning to Mike. "I heard your shell cell...was it Raph?"

"No, it was a dog."

"A dog?" Don said, annoyed. "Mike, this is not a time to joke."

"I'm not joking!"

Leo shook his head. "Don't push it Don."

"I wasn't going too."

"I'm not joking guys!" Mikey protested. "There really was a dog on the phone. Or Raph just sounding like a dog..."

"Right." Leo said dryly. "Like Raph would run away only to call you a few days later, barking and acting like a dog?" He shook his head. "Smooth bro, real smooth."

"Well then, if you don't believe me, who was it?"

"Some kids with the wrong number." Don said calmly. "Mikey, right now, we just need to focus on finding who has Raph."

"You think someone has him Donny?" Leo looked at the purple banded turtle.

Don cringed. "His shell cell has nothing I can track it with and...I know why." From his mouth, he drew forth a ziploc bag filled with small parts from a shell cell.

"There's nothing left to get a signal from." Leo said quietly.

* * *

"Easy does it now." Ben said, climbing out of the back from a large, white van. Between him and Rebeca, he had a large stretcher. Strapped down and covered with a white blanket, was a small, gray form.

"Kevin! Get the infirmary ready!" Ben yelled.

Raph's head jerked up from where he was dozing on the front steps. He found that he enjoying dozing in the sun's rays, letting the warmth soak him to the bone.

He quickly moved aside was the young teen boy burst out of the house and towards a small, well-equipped house that they used for emergencies. Raph followed, careful to stay out of the way. Even though he wasn't sniffing the air, the smell of blood was thick and made him shiver in disgust.

As the stretcher went by, his heart went out to the small lump on the cloth. By the size and looks, it was still a young dog, a puppy. It's eyes were closed and it's breath coming in ragged gasps. Blood oozed from a wound on the side as he was rushed in.

Raph could only stay back and watch in silent awe as the family went to work saving the small life. Several stitches and blood transfusions later, the small dog was laying on the steel table, a large white bandage wrapped tightly around his rear leg and stomach.

"Stay with him Houston." Kevin ordered as his parents and him left to go wash their hands. Raph let out a bark, watching the family leave before padding over to the small puppy. His breathing was steadier and more stable - from the way they were talking, he'd make it.

"Hey kid." Raph murmured, placing both both front paws on the table and looking at the small bundle.

"Daddy..."

Raph jerked back. The young pup blinked open tired eyelids and looked around. He strugglred breifly, but had no energy to continue. His terrified and exhausted eyes strayed up to Raph's face.

"Hey kid, you okay?" Raph asked softly, hoping not to startle the poor kid.

"No." He whimpered and shut his eyes tight.

Unsure what to do, Raph nosed him carefuly. "Hey kid, it'll be alright. Kevin and his parents will fix you up nice and good and then they can take ya home."

"I...I don't have a home." The small, pain-filled voice squeezed at Raph's heart, filling him with greif.

"Why not?"

He whimpered. "It's gone. My mom...she was taken by the net-grabbers."

"The net-grabbers?" Raph cocked his head. "Who the shell are they?" he asked as the truth hit him. The people who work for pounds carry around nets and chokers - nabbing strays all over the city. The poor pup had his mom taken by the pound...which most likely meant his mom was....

Swallowing thickly, Raph laid his snout next to the silently grieving puppy, offering what comfort he could. The puppy whimpered quietly, and Raph knew that if dog's could cry, the floor would be soaked as the puppy wept for his mother. "It's okay." he murmured.

"I want my mom!" He wailed, sobbing. "It's not fair! It's not fair." He cried. "Why her...why her...."

The grief went on for several minutes and Raph just stayed there, letting the puppy curl next to him and sob into his fur. The poor puppy had lost his only family to someone who didn't care...and now he was alone in the world, hurt, and no family.

In his heart, he knew what he had to do. "It's okay kid, I'll take care off you." Raph said gently. "What's your name?"

The puppy looked up at him, and for the first time, Raph could really see his eyes. They were a deep, sky blue. "Mikey."

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**Please leave a review.**

**Also, if anyone out there is still reading my fic, Combined Terror, please let me know because the story may be removed or given off to someone else. Thanks :D  
**


	10. Chapter 9 Happy Place

**I am so sorry this took so long, but I do hope you enjoy. Now that two of my major fics are out of the way, I can focus on this one and the sequel to No Matter What, called Forever Loved so be sure and keep an eyes out for it :D**

**For this chapter I want to thank three great people who helped me through roadblocks of all sorts. Thanks to Mikell, Melody Winters, and Cindy Silverwhip. **

**They do NOT belong to me *rolls eyes* they now belong to Nickelodeon but all OC's belong to me so ask before use please!**

* * *

Sunlight slowly drifted through the heavy glass, gently washing the two curled up figured in a heavy ray of warmth. Raph stirred, barley shifting around from his curled up position around Mikey. The young pup's leg was wrapped in a heavy cast, all blood cleaned up from the fluffy silver fur. Mikey gave a small whimper, pressing himself closer to Raph's body warmth.

Raph knew that they would have slept well into the morning, if not for the rapid barking that sounded out of the blue. Their were yips of smaller dog and deep throaty barks of the larger ones, each one demanding his or her own breakfast. One ear lazily lifting, he could hear Ben and Kevin's calling out to each dog, dishes rattling, and the sounds of large bags being torn open and dog food pellets pouring into dishes. He could also hear the slight creak of the hose knob being turned and water rushing through the small cylinder tube as it filled up a long trench of water that ran through each of the kennels.

"Hmmm..." Wearily lifting his head, Mikey blinked tiredly and half-heartedly sniffed the air. "Roasted ham, cripsy bacon, scrambled eggs..."

With a sigh, Raph opened one heavy eyelid and stared at eager, huge blue eyes. "Sorry kid, but I have feeling that ain't for ya. That's what the humans eat, you're gonna get dog food most likely."

"Dog food?" The innocent cock of the head tore at Raph's heart. "What's that?"

"Your breakfast." Raph muttered, letting his head rest back on his flame-printed paw. Silence was golden... but it was only golden as long as it lasted. A paw prodding his side, made him groan and his muscles tense up.

"I'm hungry."

"Then go bug Kevin."

"Who?"

Raph would've answered, but the rattle of keys made his head completely come up and his ears perk. "That's Kevin."

Said boy peeked his head into the room, a huge grin on his face. "Hi guys." his eyes softened at the sight of his 'dog' curled up beside the young puppy. "Aww, did you make a friend Houston?"

Raph snorted. "More like a nuisance." Subconsioucly, his tail started to beat against the metal table as Kevin walked over and gave both him and Mikey and pat on the head.

"Who's hungry?" cooed Kevin.

"Me! Me! Me!"

Raph had no doubt that if all four of his paws were working and all four bones still intact, he would be bouncing around, begging, whining, and being a turtle disguied as a dog.

Even in dog form, the youngest turtle haunted Raph.

Raph wondered what bad...well, worse than normal things, he had done to deserve such bad karma.

"I got puppy food for you," Kevin shook a small bowl, the contents rattling inside of the metal dish. "And for Houston, mom has breakfast in the kitchen." His voice was teasing, thinking Raph couldn't understand him.

Carefully reaching over Raph's stretched out body, he carefully grabbed Mikey's small body. One hand cupping the chest and the other wrapping around the rear, he gently lifted him into the air before settling him in a pet carrier that rested in the room.

"Sorry 'bout that boy, but we can't have too much movement until that leg of yours heals." Kevin apologized as he set the food dish in along with Mikey and latched the cage door shut.

Raph, still on the table, cringed when he saw the flash of fear in blue eyes. But before he could react on it, and force Kevin to let the terrified pup out of his carrier, the small black nose started to quiver.

"FOOD!"

Both Raph and Kevin watched in utter amusement as Mikey dug into the metal bowl, inhaling the softened dry dog food mix that was soaked in gravy. Not three minutes later, he raised his head, a goofy grin on his face, his silver muzzle stained with gravy, Running a pink tongue over them, he gave a low whine.

"Its all gone." He pouted.

Shaking his head, Raph easily hoped down from the table, landing silently on all four paws. "Rest up kid." He started to walk after Kevin, but a sinfully loud howl made both dog and boy stiffen and cringe.

"Don't leave me Raphie!" Mikey wailed, pressing himself against the bars.

Pinning his ears, Raph shot the boy a death glare. Mikey cringed back from the amber daggers.

"But...but Raphie..." he whimpered.

Patience was slowly going down the drain, and was being quickly replaced by fierce annoyance. It grew even more when Rebeca pocked her head, a huge, fake smile that only equaled trouble.

"How's it going?" she asked, stepping fully into the room. "How's the pup?"

"He already ate."

"That's good." She knelt by the cage, peering inside. Mikey wagged his tail, hit little ear perking and a low whine echoing in his throat. "This poor thing needs some meat on his bones."

"He ate everything." Informed Kevin, his hand straying to Raph's head.

As disgusted as Raph was with himself, he found himself leaning towards the gentle hand that said so much in a single stoke.

"Good. Now why don't I take Houston inside and you can help your father with the other dogs."

"What do you need Houston for?"

The grin on Rebeca's face would have sent shivers through any sane person, and sadly, Raph had a feeling that he was the only person, er dog, that was sane enough to realize it.

"Bath time."

_Oh yeah, they've lost it. _

_

* * *

_

Happy place, happy place, just remember the happy place where I'm Mikey free.

Warm water rushing over his paws brought him from his wanna-be happy place and back into the land of reality. Rebeca was humming "Green Acres" from TV while filling up the large bathtub set in the bathroom. With one hand she tested the water, casually adjusting the knobs, the other held Raph's collar firmly.

Raph had already tried jumping out of the tub, hoping his sheer weight and size would dislodge the happy-go lucky woman, but she seemed prepared for any he might have pulled. Once again, Raph found himself in the tub, defeated to the horrid hands of shampoo suds, and the off-key tunes of the woman.

Lowering his head, he let out a low groan as he felt cup after cup being filled to the brim before being dumped on his fur, carefully and clearly soaking him to the bone. The cup in one hand was quickly replaced with a huge bottle of shampoo.

Raph's eyes went wide as the smell hit him like Mikey falling into sewer water. "No! Anything but that!" But his pleas were met by deaf ears as a huge goop of strawberry scented shampoo was spread from his neck fur down to the base of his tail. Slim fingers massaged it into his fur, quickly turning his tawny and raven colored fur into a mess of suds.

He wasn't sure how long he was tortured, but he did know that he was never, ever, going to eat another strawberry, chocolate coated or not, for as long as he lived.

_Chocolate..._

His mind strayed to his ultimate weakness when another torture hit him. Dogs can't eat chocolate!

"I swear," he groaned, turning his face towards the ceiling. "Whoever is up there, they must hate me."

Finally after Rebeca saw fit that he was clean enough, she brought down the small nozzle and easily sprayed down Raph's whole body before bring out a heavy towel and roughly drying his fur until it was just damp.

"Aw," Becka smiled, cupping Raph's face as she smiled at him. "You're so cute!" she cooed, brushing her nose against Raph's damp black one.

"As long as ya keep yer bows and ribbons away, we'll get along just fine." Raph informed her, pulling away at hearing the door to the bathroom open. Expecting to see Kevin, he turned with perked ears.

What he did see however, brought fear and panic once again to his heart.

"Hi Amber." Rebeca smiled at the girl. "I'm glad you can help with the fundraiser."

"Anything to help out." Amber told her.

"Aw... you brought Sandra with you." Lifting a hand, Rebeca let the pretty white she-dog sniff her hand, before promptly licking it. "I know one dog who's glad to see her." Both girls giggled as Sandra turned ice blue eyes on Raph's frozen form.

"Hello Raphael..." She purred as she sashayed over to him.

_Oh shell...._

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**Please review! **


	11. Chapter 10 Cook

**Here's the next chap! Enjoy!**

**Also for everyone who has been reading No Matter What, the sequel is now up, be sure to look for Forever Loved!  
**

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The long white tail draped over his paws, sending Raph out of his daydream. Snapping his head, he glared at the smirking ice blue eyes. He'd been dozing in the warm rays of the run while watching in utter amusement as everyone around him hurried around, fixing thing, making repairs, applying a fresh layer of paint to everything in sight. Dogs were bathed and groomed, being cleaned up to be shown off to humans. Watching them hurry around for the fundraiser had been more amusing then watching Donny and Mikey together with a big red button labeled "Do Not Touch". He'd been watching them until the thought of his brothers sent him into a daze, his soul and heart hurting to be near them again - to hear their voices and feel their touch. It had been going quite well until the silky tail was brushed against him.

"You dozed off their for a minute Raphael." Sandra purred in her husky voice, blinking at him with deep ice colored orbs.

With a disgusted look, Raph pushed her tail away from him. "So what?" he snapped. But instead of the withdrawal like most dogs would have done, she simply laughed and planted herself closer to him, her white fur pressed against his.

"Oooh," she teased, grinning. "A bad boy huh?" Dropping her muzzle downwards, she let her eyes drift up to his face. Her devious smile and glint in her eyes screamed at him. "Well I can be a bad girl, you know."

"That's nice." Raph said simply. His whole body screamed at him to get away from her touch. Not only was it creeping him out that a girl dog had a deep crush on him, it scared the shell out of him how much touch she required.

"Oh come now." She pouted, but still stayed pressed close to him.

"Sandra, listen." Raph felt his patience start to slip away as he began to explain to her as he would Mikey. "I have NO interest in you, whatsoever. Now if you would kindly move away, you're invading my personal space." To emphasize his words, he pushed himself away from her. He'd hoped she would take the hint and scat, but apparently female dogs weren't too smart.

Sandra stood up, stretching herself in front of Raph, her long wavy tail brushing the air like a brush to a canvas, in pure poetic movements.

Raph watched her with a bored expression, knowing what she was trying to do. She was trying to get his attention by showing off her lean body, long legs, and silky fur that hung from her body like waves. Her ice blue pools were filled with what some people would say was innocence, but what Raph knew to be pure devious desires.

She was trying to turn him on.

Instead, he turned around.

"Oh Raphael..." She sweetly called out.

Raph sighed. _She just doesn't give up does she?_

His eyes went wide when he felt her tail brush across his face. With a gasp, he pulled away. The gasp was from shock, but apparently she took it as a yes.

"Come on Raphael," She stepped high over him, weaving around him like a gymnast. "You know you want too..."

With a low growl, Raph jerked away to a sitting position. Ears going flat he sent amber daggers at her. "Can ya not take a hint lady?"

She blinked, taking a step back. Her ears also went back, her tail giving a hesitant wag. "What are you saying?" she whimpered.

"Listen," Raph sighed, facing her. She wore a pitiful look, a whimper escaping her every so often. If I dog could look heart-broken, she could. "We can't be together. Besides, you're not my type." every word was forced, straining not too blow up.

_Remember what Splinter said... patience is worth the reward in the end._

Her look made him want to throw up.

_Never mind, patience can shove it this time._

"Listen here," he growled. "This is just-"

"I know!" she squealed.

Ears going flat, he jerked back with wide amber eyes as she literally pounced at him.

"Know what?" he yelped.

"You're missing them." she told him, her ice eyes wild.

"Wha..." He swore his face went pale as she stared intently at his tail. He could feel his tail curl under his legs, as he backed away. "Um, look Sandra..."

"That's why you don't want to be with me." she said softly. "You think that you can't give me pups... that you can't give me what I need. That I'm too good for you...."

"Umm..."

"But don't worry," all her sadness aside, she went to his side again. "Your attitude is enough to take me to heaven and back."

"Oh yeah... " Raph never ran. Raph never coward at the sight of an enemy. But the others never faced a flirting she-dog.

"Houston!"

Raph perked his ears at the sound of Kevin calling his 'name'. "Sorry sweetcakes, my "master" is calling me." and with that said, he bounded away, ignoring the pathetic calling of Sandra behind him.

Kevin was standing near the entrance to the farm, a large rope in his hands. Both heels were dug into the ground as he heaved backwards, attempting to bring up his part of the sign that was to hang over the entrance to the farm. The large, thick gloves on his hands were slick with sweat.

Sitting a few feet away, Raph watched his boy strain and sweat, grunt and groan as the stupid sign refused to move.

With a chuckle, Raph walked over to him, letting out a low whimper. Kevin looked down at him with a strained smile.

"Mind helping boy?" He gasped out. Taking the end of the rope, he held it out to Raph. "Come on boy, I know you're strong enough. Take it..."

With a low grunt, Raph accepted the rope in his mouth. The fibers cut his tongue as he bore down hard, his amber eyes narrowing. And with a low deep growl, he hurled himself backwards.

The rope went taunt almost immediately as Raph backed up more. Muscles trembling, he bit down hard. His fangs drove deep into the rope as he growled again, shaking his head around, trying to find a better grip. His paws shook under him and every step back felt like weight was attached to them. He was dimly aware of Kevin helping, the boys grunts low and almost undetected.

Raph was about to give up and spit the nasty tasting material from his mouth when he heard the sign groan as it was slowly lifted. The folks on the other side helping started to pull harder, lifting their side as well.

"Come on Houston," Grunted Kevin. "Good boy... pull, that's it!"

With a deep, animalistic growl, Raph threw himself backwards, the weight of his body bringing the sign to a standing point. For a second the rope went limp in Kevin's hands as he stared in utter shock as his dog lifted it up the rest of the way.

Hearing the cheers of the rest of the family, Raph spat out the rope to the ground. He could taste the blood in his mouth where the rope strands had cut his gums, but he didn't care. It was done. He could hear the footsteps of Kevin as the boy walked up to him, the soft hands that stroked his fur, and the whispers of praise.

"Is he okay?" Ben asked, coming up to the pair. Kneeling down, he gently lifted the edges of Raph's lips, revealing torn flesh and blood oozing out. "Shoot, he's going to need these cleaned up."

"What happened?" Rebeca asked, also coming up.

"Houston sliced his mouth on the rope." Kevin explained, holding up the material to his mouth. Rebeca examined the blood-flecked strands.

"He's lucky he didn't do more." She said seriously. "This rope is like giving a dog a can that has just been opened - the sides are sharp as all get out." Laying the rope back down, she examined Raph's mouth again. Ben had to hold his head, since Raph kept jerkin away. "Well, the bleeding has almost stopped, which is a good sign. I guess the best we can do is watch him and make sure there's no infection."

"Are you sure he's not ready for adoption Ben?" Four heads swung towards the new voice. When Raph saw who it was, his hackles raised and he fought down the growl in his throat. It was the officer from the school... the one who was interested in breeding.

"Hello Officer Cook." With a smile, he stood and shook hands. "Wait can I help you with?"

Cook laughed, sending shivers down Raph's spine. _Well if that ain't a bad guy laugh, I don't know what is._

"I was here to check out some of your dogs..." his eyes trailed down to Raph, his eyes glinting in greed. "I help train the dogs for the academy. Sometimes we take in strays..."

"That's good to hear." Rebeca smiled, standing beside her husband. "We have tons of good dogs that will be excellent K9 dogs. What are you looking for?" she smiled warmly as several more cars pulled into the lot.

With a sigh, Ben straightened his shirt. "I'll go help them."

With a chuckle, Cook took Rebeca aside. "You see, I am very, very interested in one of your dogs." he told her.

With a puzzled smile, Rebeca looked at him. "Well any dog on this lot is available for adoption."

"Any dog?" he pressed.

"Yes...."

"Excellent." with a greedy smile, he rubbed his hands together. "Then I want like to adopt Houston."

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**Leave a review please! The next chap is being worked on now :D**


	12. Chapter 11 Dogs in Danger

**PLEASE READ!**

**This chapter is dedicated too over 60 dogs that were put to sleep today in several shelters across the map. There is a real site out there called "Dogs In Danger" that is a countdown for thousands of dogs... it's also the memorial site for those who couldn't find a home in time. Please check it out.**

**Also note that all dogs mentioned in this chapter were real dogs... RIP Rosie and Loba. **

* * *

Leo took a deep breath, clearing his mind of the past days events. They'd spent a good week looking for their hot-headed brother. A good week on the streets. A good week searching labs, watching the news, and even going as far as to break into Shredder's place and the homes of the Purple Dragon's. They'd killed, searched, and questioned for the whereabouts for Raph. But every answer was the same. Huge fear-filled eyes and sweat dripping down the pale face.

"I don't know!" which was quickly followed by a, "Please don't kill me!"

Leo took another breath. His heart beat in a steady rhythm under his plastron as his body relaxed to the calming darkness of the meditation state.

He'd attempted many times to reach Raph through the planes, but everything he called out, he got the same, chilling darkness as an answer. Wherever Raph was, Leo knew that he must be busy or preoccupied not to at least try to reach Leo. They'd done it before, but Leo knew that in order to do it, Raph's mind had to be calm and there be no distractions.

_Wherever you are bro, I hope you answer me please. I need you home... we all do. _

He knew the plea would hit deaf ears, but that didn't stop the words from coming out, pouring emotion as Leo attempted to reach his brother.

_Please Raph, answer me bro..._

Nothing.

Nothing but the heavy shadows of nothingness.

Leo knew as well as the next person that when he got caught up in meditation, he could be at it for hours in real life, while on his time, it was a mere second. He'd done it just the other night, caught up in his hopeless calling for Raph that he'd missed dinner and meditated well into the night, nothing being able to break through the brick wall he'd put up, allowing nothing but the sound of Raph's voice, if it came, to get through. This time though, there was no brick wall up. So while he didn't dwell on the sounds outside him, he could still hear and acknowledge them.

What he didn't expect, however, was to hear the soft, quiet sounds of sniffling from Don's lab.

Pulling himself from the darkness, Leo blinked his eyes open, easily taking in everything around him. That's why he liked to mediate with candles. The soft glow they made gave him enough time to prepare his eyes from the sudden brightness of the lair after being in the night of his mind for so long.

Going still, he listened.

There it was again - the soft sound of his younger brother crying but trying to hold it back... trying to keep others from hearing it.

Leo knew none of his brothers liked to cry in front of the others, preferring to do it in the solitude of themselves, but he also knew that sometimes, it was better to be with family and cry then be alone and cry.

Shaking out his muscles, Leo easily gained his footing and walked out of the dojo. Crossing the floor quickly, Leo peeked his head into the room of his brainiac brother's. He didn't expect to see what he did see.

Don was at his desk, a huge box of tissues at his left side, while he stared at the computer screen. Soft sobs were erupt from his mouth, in which he would reach for a tissue, blowing, before releasing it into a wastebasket at his feet. Leo could see the huge amounts of wadded up tissue which was quickly filling up the small can.

"Donny?" Leo called out softly, stepping into the room.

Donny turned around long enough for Leo to see his eyes were red and swollen from crying, his cheeks tear-stained.

"Donny?"

"L-leave me alone Leo." Don hiccuped. He furiously rubbed at his eye with one hand, turning back to the screen.

"Don." Leo easily crossed the room, laying one hand on his brother's shell. He could feel the sweat under his hand, signaling that his brother had been at this for awhile. Leo felt the guilt build up in chest, knowing that his brother had been hurting alone. "Donny, tell me."

"It's not important Leo."

"Don, look at me."

Light brown met the chocolate orbs of Leo's caring eyes.

"If it's important to you, it's important to me."

With a soft sigh, Don pointed at the screen and for the first time Leo could see the small bold printed words and pictures of... dogs?

"Donny, what are you looking at?" he leaned in closer for a better look. "Why are you looking at dogs?" he read the small words under the pictures and felt his heart strings being pulled. "Don," he said softly. "These dogs are already dead..."

"I know." Don didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"Then why..."

"This site is called Dogs In Danger." Don's voice was soft... raspy... as he fought for the words without completely choking up. "This site takes all shelter pets that are running out of time... or have already..."

Leo could feel his own tears threaten to spill as Donny's voice became softer, filled with more passion with each word. He knew Donny cared for all life and it killed him to see something so innocent as dogs...animals who committed their whole lives to protecting their masters... being cast aside like garbage and their lives being snuffed out like a single candle.

Donny went on sadly. "It counts down the days, for some even the hours, until they're put down. It gives little bit of information about each dog... but all of them mean the same thing. They're waiting for rescue and if no one comes, they're dead."

Chocolate brown eyes went wide as Leo listened.

"I was just looking for information about dogs... since we're adopting from a shelter and all... and this email came up. I clicked on it and it... it brought me to this."

Leo tightened his grip on Don's shoulder as he listened.

"The first dog... it was an elderly lab. It had been abandoned, left in a home by it's owners. The next dog was a gift for kids, but when the kids got to lazy to take care of it, the parents dumped it at a shelter." Don paused, reaching over the mouse. He brought up a picture of a young puppy with bright eyes looking at the camera, tail wagging, ears perked.

Leo looked at the young dog, feeling his heart start to tear. The puppy was taken to a high kill shelter, with only 72 hours for someone to claim him before he was put down. Below the pictures was where the dog's name was supposed to be...

Leo's eyes went wide.

The puppy hadn't even been given a name, only numbers. The puppy had died with no name, only numbers, alone in a scary place, not sure what was going on. But as a puppy, he looked automatically towards the brighter side of things. It's final days had been filled with confusion, not sure where he was, what was going on, or even what his name was.

"That's awful." Leo whispered. His voice was laced with emotion.

"It gets worse Leo," With another click, Don scrolled to another screen. "Over sixty dogs were put down today alone... sixty Leo. Out of the thousands of people... the millions... sixty people couldn't find it in their heart to save a life." Another click sent him to the main page. "I'm sorry it just... that just bothers me. I mean, what has this country come to? How the shell is it even possible that we spend the most money on our pets in our country while people starve in others... how is it that this country can't save these dogs? These innocent lives?"

For once in his life, Leo had no answer. "Donny, maybe for Mikey's birthday, we should take him to a different shelter and not a farm, like we'd planned."

Donny nodded, abruptly standing up. "Sorry Leo. I gotta... I gotta get some air." he hurried out of his lab, but Leo knew that the tears wouldn't stop. Nor would the aching pain his heart. To him, it felt like his heart shouldn't survive another painful anything...

First Raph missing. Now this...

Moving away, Leo felt that he couldn't get far enough away from the dozens off eyes on the screen, staring him down, taunting him. He could almost feel a pair of amber eyes glaring him as well...

Running out of the lair, he went back to the dojo. Jerking out his katana's he started a rough exercise, trying to rid himself off it all that seemed to hang off his shell like a heavy weight.

He worked long into the night, ignoring Mikey's call for dinner or Splinter's soft, urging voice. He could still see them...

_Luba, a bright, young, collie mix. She'd been left behind when her family moved and someone took her to a shelter... she hadn't stood a chance._

_Rosie, a beagle mix, young... her stomach was swollen with unborn pups. She, along with all of her unborn pups, were gassed within a week upon her arrival. _

_Don't think about that, _Leo growled to himself.

Time slowly went by, turning the hands until it was well into the night. It seemed like every minute went by, another dog would flash in his mind.

The pictures... the count down... the death.

Finally Leo couldn't take it anymore.

Quietly moving himself into Don's lab, he turned on the computer and pulled up the history. He had never had a chance to look at the main page and he wondered if it was a depressing as the rest of the site was.

On the main page was a picture of a puppy, staring at anyone who looked. Below it was a picture of a dog, who's time was running out as well. But it wasn't any of that, that really caught his attention. It was the large words pasted on top.

_**Each year in the country, over 4 million dogs are killed...**_

Four million lives taken... most couldn't even grasp how big four million was. Four million...

Leo's eyes went even wider as he read further down.

_**Four million a year was almost one dog euthanized every 9 seconds... **_

He couldn't hold back the numbers that started to flash in his mind. His hands started to shake as a sinking feeling rested in his stomach.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

_Four..._

_Five..._

_Six...._

_Seven..._

_Eight... _

Leo closed his eyes tight. He could hear the barking cease to nothing, the whimpers fading away... the light drowning in the night.

_Nine... _

_

* * *

_**Please, if anyone out there is looking for a pet or is willing to foster, I beg of you to check out this site. One look could change your life and save a dogs life as well. **

**Review please  
**


	13. Chapter 12 Facing Facts

_**PLEASE READ!**_

**This chapter is short for a reason. **

**To say the least, I was upset and angry with the negative reviews and PM's I got concerning the last chapter. Not all were mean, thank goodness, but they're were some and especially the PM's that not only made me upset, but made me wonder why I was even still writing this. Please understand this. **

**I am not an idiot. I do understand what is going on in the world. I do realize that yes, there are worst things happening in the world then dogs being killed. _HOWEVER_ - this is MY fic. If you want to make a big deal about anything else, go write your own fic. Don't waste time complaining about it in reviews or PM's to me. This fic is to give a voice to those who have none and to put in a way that the readers love, to get their attention about what is going on in the world.  
**

**I honestly never thought I would have to say this, but from now on, ALL FLAMES are forbidden. If you do not like what you are reading, stop. No one is forcing you to read this fic, but I thank everyone who has so far. I want to thank the few who went ahead and gave a positive review for the last chap! **

**I really hope you guys who are still with me have read and understand where I am coming from. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

"Kevin, sweetie?" Rebeca raped her knuckles lightly on her son's wooden door. The sound echoed in the still hallway. "Kevin, please open the door."

"Go away."

The sound of her son's voice, broken and defeated sounding, broke her own heart in two. She could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke and almost imagine the sobs racking his body and the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Kevin..."

"Go away mom!"

She was about to answer when she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. Half-turning she saw Ben behind her. Her husbands eyes held the same grief he

rs did at their son and his own pain. Ben shook his head, motioning her away from Kevin's bedroom. When they were a good enough distance away she collapsed into his warm arms, laying her head on his shoulder and letting her own tears fall freely from her eyes. Outside the fundraiser was still going on. People had a chance to view the dogs and play with them, deciding on the one they wanted. Around four in the afternoon, would the adopters be allowed to take their pets home, making sure everyone who came had a fair chance at getting the right pet for them. All valuables were locked up tight and their was nothing worth stealing, and with trust volunteers, they had nothing to worry about.

Nothing, that is, but their son's broken heart.

"Ben, what are we going to do?" She whispered.

"There's nothing we can do." Ben fought the tears from his eyes as he hugged his wife tight to his chest. "Kevin should know by now not to get too attached... this is our life. We have to do what's best for the dogs... and for Houston."

"He loves that dog."

Ben hesitated before answering softy. "I know dear... but Officer Cook is interested in Houston and him alone. Most officers start puppies out for the K9 program so for the fact that he's even interested in Houston is huge. And he's offered to give us a very generous donation to the fundraiser..."

Rebeca pulled away from her husband, shock etched onto her pretty face. "When did it become all about the money?" she spat. "I thought we were here to held the dogs?!"

Instantly realizing his mistake, Ben had enough decency to look embarrassed. "You know that's not what I meant." He mumbled.

"Then what did you mean?" her hands went to her hips as she glared down her husband.

"I meant that if Officer Cook gives us this donation, not only could it mean a big business increase, but it could save this place from closing down."

She feared the truth of his words, knowing that a single dog could mean the difference between the place closing down. Already her stomach twisted at the thought of what would happen to the other dogs should the place close down.

Animal shelters... several probably ending up on the death row and most certainly dead.

"You're right." she sighed, pushing away.

Ben studied his wife. "I'll talk to him." he told her softly, gathering her into one last hug. She clung to him for a few more precious seconds before mercifully releasing him.

Ben watched his wife walk down the hall and descending down the steps before turning to his son's room. With a sigh, he lifted his hand and knocked.

"Kevin," he called out, keeping his tone level and his voice free of any emotion. "Kevin, open the door."

"Go away dad!"

"Kevin Alexander, open the door this instant." Ben demanded, glaring down the wooden barrier that stood in his way.

Only a few seconds later there was a small squeak of the bed, soft patter of footsteps, and the small click of the lock as Kevin unlocked the door.

Taking a deep breath, Ben pushed the door open. What he saw threatened to break his heart.

Houston and his son were curled up on the bed. Kevin had his arms around Houston's neck, the large dog's head pulled close to his chest while Houston have lounged, half on the boy and half off. There were dried tears on Kevin's face as he glared at his father with piercing blue eyes.

Ben sighed.

This was going to be tougher than he thought.

* * *

When Raph saw Ben enter the room, he had to force his fur to lie flat as he glared at the man. He tail lashed back and forth in anger as he focused all his energy on not raising his lips and showing off razor sharp fangs and gleaming teeth. He knew that his ears were pinned, but he was going to make sure that Ben knew that he knew and understood what was going on and didn't like it. For once, rational thinking overtook his hot-headed reactions and forced him not to lunge at the man to prove his point.

Kevin had been hugging on his neck, bawling into his fur and soaking it, murmuring nonsense in Raph's ear.

Not quite sure what to do, Raph just say that and let him take it. Normally if it had been one of his brothers, he would have gathered them into a hug and rubbed their shells in soothing circles until they quited down and spoke up about their feelings or fell asleep in his arms, where then Raph would take them to bed. He may be a hot-head, but when one of his brother's honestly cried, something was wrong. He could swallow his pride long enough to be a brother, but then all bets were off.

But he wasn't a turtle still and he wasn't with his brothers.

He was in a room with a young, broken-hearted teen, crying out his fears of loosing his best friend and an angry father attempting to make him see the light of the situation. This would be the time where he'd jump in with a few curses and beat the tar out of some people, but... but now he couldn't. He could only watch, listen... and hope for the best.

For once, his life, his fate, was out of his hands.

"Dad, listen to me." Kevin pleaded. "Officer Cook is bad news... he doesn't want Houston. He wants to breed him!"

"Kevin, Officer Cook is not like that." Ben said. "Besides, he would have to sign an agreement to get Houston fixed within a month of adoption."

"Dad, please." Kevin's voice dripped with sarcasm. "A lot can happen between now and a month."

"So we'll shorten the date period."

"He won't take care of Houston!"

Ben sighed. "Kevin, Houston would be guaranteed to have a great life with Officer Cook. Police dogs are treated like royalty, receiving the best of care."

"He's fine here!"

"Kevin listen to me," Ben knelt beside the bed, reaching over and clasping his son's own hands in his. "I need you to listen to me, can you do that?"

Kevin barely managed to hold back the sobs as he gave a tearful nod.

"If Cook gets to adopt Houston, it could meant the continued safety of this place - with his donation, we won't go bankrupt ok? We won't have to be shut down and all the dogs here will be saved."

"Dad, can't he choose another dog?" Kevin couldn't hold back his tears this time or the soft, almost pleading sound in the back of his throat.

"....no."

With a strangled sob, Kevin pushed away from Raph and Ben, running into the hallway. The tears down his face were in rivers, his cheeks pale

Ben sighed, listening to the rapid sounds of his running down the steps, the slam of the door, then the house was free off all sobs. Silent... still...

Still as death.

"Kevin," Raph whimpered, letting his head fall forward. Suddenly, it seemed his paws wouldn't support him.

"Come on Houston," Ben whispered, shaking himself free off all guilt as he pulled a leash from his pocket.

The next few minutes were a daze for Raph. The walk down the steps, out of the house, the rapid chatter of the busy crowd for the fundraiser... the glint in Cook's eyes as he accepted the leash and handed Ben a check.

Raph could hear the muffled gasps of Rebeca and the faint, almost undetectable whimper of Sandra.

He could barley remember anything, everything seeming to take forever, but everything happening to fast.

For once he didn't fight - he was beaten at fate's cruel hand. He could do nothing.

There was a slam off a car door, the start of an engine, and the rocking feeling under his paws as the car pulled away, him in the backseat. All he could do was peer out the back at the small, almost miniature figure running after the car, screaming... crying...

_Kevin,_ Raph thought as the boy finally vanished from sight. _I'm so sorry... _

_

* * *

_**Review please... **

**NOTE: if you did not read the message up top, please do so now. Thanks  
**


	14. Chapter 13 Expirment Puppy

**Finally... wow, I have been on writers block for awhile, trying to get this done. Thank goodness it finally is. Thanks to all my loyal friends and fans who have sent me encouraging notes and such - you guys are much appreciated!**

**Also, I want to thank the one person out off all of them who wrote me an apology due to the last chapter issues. Your apology has been accepted and it was great appreciated so thank you. **

**I got a lot of people wondering what the brothers were up too - here's one chap that is going to be the start for excitement of their own.  
**

**Now, on with the next chap!  
**

* * *

Mikey growled, lashing out at the nearest trash can. For once, he didn't care about the noise it made, as long as he found Raph. It had been two weeks - two miserable, long weeks without the red banded turtle in the lair.

Two weeks without the daily Leo vs. Raph.

Two weeks without the Raph chasing Mikey after a prank ritual.

Two weeks that Don had to go without fixing an injury from the red banded turtle or fix up a dent in the shell cycle.

Two weeks... it was a minute too long.

Mikey sighed, watching as the garbage spilled onto the empty concrete alley. He didn't care about the mess he'd just made or the noise that could have easily attracted attention. He just wanted his brother back.

The gentle vibration of his shell cell made him sigh as he pulled it from his belt and flipped it open, holding it up to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Did you find anything Mikey?" _

Mikey studied the trash, watching as several mice darted forward from the shadows, grabbing onto whatever they could before retreating back into the shadows. The seemed to be working as a team almost, moving as one to gather as much food as possible - to get the job done.

A team like he'd used to have been a part of.

"No Leo, anything on your end?"

_"Well, Donny found some red strands of the same fiber we use for our own masks."_

Mike brightened. "That's good." he felt a smile coming on. "Where did he find it?"

There was a pause.

_"Outside a fabric store." _

"Oh." Mikey sighed, biting back the tearful sob. "Where is he Leo?" He listened to Leo sigh heavily over the line. None of the family had any idea where Raph was at. It was like he'd just vanished without a trace - all evidence of him completely gone. There was nothing left to find.

They'd gone out every night for the past two weeks looking for Raph. They'd searched every alley, warehouse, and labs that could found anywhere in the city. And they all came up the same way.

Empty.

"Man, this sucks." Mikey muttered.

_"Just hang in there bro and let us know if you find anything." _Leo said quietly before Mikey heard the click of phone.

With a sigh, he snapped the lid shut and slid the small device back into his belt. Giving the alley one more longing look, praying for some type of miracle to happen, he finally admitted defeat. This alley was just like all the others.

Empty.

He looked around, his gaze finally landing and settling on an old, rusted, but still usable, fire escape, hanging from the side of the building. Bunching his muscles, he prepared to leap when the scraping of metal against the concrete jerked him away from his frustrated state.

Mikey jerked back into the shadows of the buildings, his blue eyes narrowed as his hands rested on the wooden pieces of his weapons. He waited, watching for any sign of the intruder.

Mike was waiting for the tall shadow of a human, the thick build of a man or the slim trim build with flowing hair of the woman. His eyes were poised on the wall, watching. He was so focused on the brick wall where the head of the person should be that he never heard the small patter of steps until fur brushed up against his leg.

"Wha!" Mike sniffled a scream as one hand pressed tightly against his beak and his foot lashed out, sending the furry object into the wall. What he didn't expect, however, was to hear the pain filled yelp as whatever it was hit bricks.

With wide eyes, Mikey took a step forward, peering into the shadow. He couldn't make out anything except the small, brown eyes filled with pain and the unmistakable smell of blood.

"Hello?" he called out, hesitant. Whatever it was, it was hurt because of him. "You ok little guy?"

A whimper greeted his ears as a small dog limped forward. It's brown eyes looked up at Mikey and another pitiful whimper escaped it's throat.

Mikey's eyes went wide again as his heart clenched in guilt. Getting to his knees, he held out one hand while talking in a soothing voice. "Hey there little guy, I'm so sorry. My bro is missing and I kinda just jumped the fence on that one. I really didn't mean to kick ya." his smile widened just slightly as the small dog took one small step forward, then another.

It's ears were pinned back and it's tail tucked in between his legs, but one of his ears were perked forward, showing his small curiosity in the turtle.

"Come on boy," Mikey encouraged. "That's it, I'm not gonna hurt ya."

Mikey was able to catch vague details of the young dog. It was indeed a puppy, with dark brown, almost black fur with small patches missing. Their were burs, trash, mud, and whatever else he'd managed to stumble into, clinging to his short fur. Around his neck was a tight leather collar that dug into his throat, making Mike's own throat ache at the sight of it. It was a wonder the puppy hadn't been strangled.

The small dog whimpered once more then pressed his small head into Mikey's hand. Mike smiled as he stroked the dog's floppy ears, his grin only widening as the small pink darted out to give a small lick.

"That's a good boy." The orange banded turtle collected the small dog, one hand gripping it firmly around the chest while the other arched around the rear. In one easy movement the small dog was resting comfortably against his plastron. "That's a good boy." He could feel the blood dripping down his lower plastron plates and down his legs and it made him feel sick. "Let's get you back to the lair boy. Donny will fix you right up and you'll be as good as new."

The dog gave a tiny bark, as if agreeing with the idea.

* * *

"Will he be ok Donny?" Mikey asked worridly as he hovered over the purple clad turtle and small dog. It had taken him a bit of time to get back to the lair, trying to be careful and not jostle the dog too much while at the same time, keeping the young pup happy enough to stay silent. It had been hard, and getting into the sewers harder, but he had made it.

Donny nodded, taping the gauze tightly around the small puppy's leg and ribs. His fingers were covered in dried blood and surrounding him were the remains of thread from the needle and bandages.

"Good as new." he smiled down at the small puppy currently asleep on the floor from the small sedative Don had given him.

"He's so small," Mikey observed, resting his hand on the small furry head.

"He must only be a few weeks old," Donny couldn't hold back the anger from his voice. "Most likely abandoned at birth."

"How can you tell Don?" Leo walked into the room, his hands carrying several blankets and a bowl full of water and a little wet cereal.

"He's a Labrador puppy - and they're only this small when they're a few weeks old - a month or two at most. Look at him, he's skin and bones." Don shook his head, frustrated at the site of the small pup before him, a mess of bones, fleas, and loose skin. His fur was missing a few patches of fur and he had several scars marking his once fluffy chocolate pelt. "It makes me sick what some people do to animals like this."

Mikey had knelt beside the puppy, gently rubbing his ears. "Will he... make it Donny?"

Don sighed before giving a single nod of his head. "With some good food and loads of rest, he should be just fine."

Leo help his breath, knowing what the next words out of Mikey's mouth would be.

_Three..._

_Two..._

_One... _

"Can we keep em'?"

* * *

"Yeah... yeah... thanks April," Leo hung up on his shell cell, turning to the two brothers watching him. "April said that she would take him to the vet for us to give him a thurough check-up and to see if the vet would scan him for a chip."

"A chip? Leo, he doesn't have a collar." Mikey titled his head, confused.

"No Mike, not that kinda chip." Leo chuckled. "Someone people pay to have a small chip like object into their dog's skin. On that chip has all of the dog's information that would be needed in case the dog ever got lost or the dog's collar came off."

"Oh." Mikey unconsciously rubbed at his skin. "Wouldn't you be able to see it?"

"No Mikey, they insert it with a needle."

The youngest turtle's face turned a pasty green. He let out one long whistle. "That's gotta be one long and big needle."

"No, the chip is very, very small." Don went on. "It's just like getting a shot"

"Well how would you know?" Mikey shot back. "You're not the one having a chip-thingy stuck in you!" he waved his arms around wildly, trying to emphasize his point.

"Easy there bro," Leo chuckled. "Look, what don't we just take him to LH's instead of April - I'm sure he has something that we could scan the dog with."

Don turned his light brown eyes on the eldest turtle. "Oh ye of little faith, I have something just as good as LH."

Heat rushed to his cheeks. "Er, sorry there bro."

"You should be, cause I already checked for a chip." Don rolled his eyes, gently gathering the small dogs to his plastron and laying him on the soft blankets Leo had gathered. The small puppy let out a soft moan before curling in on himself best he could with his ribs and legs taped up. "He does have one, however it's weird... it doesn't give information like it normally would. It just has a bunch of number, #3125 to be exact."

"Almost like he was a... lab experiment you mean?" Leo asked.

Don nodded.

The three brothers stared down at the small puppy before looking up to the purple clad turtle.

"Ok first, I noticed that he has a small tattoo on his paw." He carefully held up the left front paw of the puppy, revealing torn and bloodied pads. The small, hot red design of a fancy T.M danced out to greet the pairs of eyes.

"T.M.?" Leo furrowed his eye ridges. "What the shell does that stand for?"

"It could be anything." Don let the limp limb settle back on the sheet. "A name, a place, who knows... the fact is it's just not enough to work with."

"Actually bros," Mikey's voice shook as he held up the tight leather collar.

Decorated in fancy golden trim in the inside of the collar was the name Timothy Mason.

"Timothy Mason?" Don's voice went high with fear.

"You know who this is?" Leo's eyes met Don's fear filled ones.

Don gave a nervous swallow. "He's known for doing experiments with animals... he's always tried to create the perfect mutant."

"I remember him," his voice was soft.

Don and Leo turned to Mikey as his baby blue eyes filled with tears.

"Don't you remember? It was his wife.. Leo, you killed her... Tabitha something."

Leo's eyes went wide. "You don't think..." he barely dared to breath, hoping... praying, that it wasn't true.

This man... this complete and total loon had their brother.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he was a complete and total loon loose and out on their trail with a vengeance not to rest until revenge had been taken.

Deadly vengeance.

* * *

**Oh wow... thank goodness that's over with!**

**Please review!  
**


	15. Chapter 14 Fate's Chocolate Eyes

**I am so sorry for the late update! I know this chapter is short, but I had a short time to write it so please forgive me and enjoy it! Next one will be up sooner! Promise! **

* * *

Raph laid on the leather seat, his eyes closed. He could feel the wind from the slight cracked window whip through his fur, causing a slight shiver to run through him. Everything suddenly seemed wrong. Not that being a dog was normal, but those weeks he'd been a dog, it didn't seem wrong... it just seemed different. But now that he was away from Kevin, it all just seemed off all of a sudden.

The collars that had been on his neck at the farm were off, replaced with an almost chocking tight fancy leather one, the brass covered tags jingling annoying from the small metal ring. It was the soft cloth ones like Kevin and his family used... the brand new leather rubbed hard against his skin.

The leather under his body signaled that Cook was well of as an officer... Raph didn't remember any officer being that well off. The whole car just rank of money. Raph had no idea how he could tell, but he could just small the money invested into the car. It was a nice car, the dark red blue coat of paint on the outside and the white leather seats on the inside. There was a plastic divider separating the front from the back, most often found in a cop car to separate the driver from the prisoner in the back.

And right then, that was the only thing keeping the man in the front safe from Raph's claws and fangs.

"We're almost home now boy!"

Raph growled, watching Cook from the front seat with half closed eyes. He could feel his hackles start to ride and the rur along the base of his neck and spine start to rise... his tail lashing back and forth.

Cook slowed the car down to a stop, turning around to face Raph with narrowed eyes. "Look here boy, I don't know why you're acting like this, but you'd better stop. You're my big chance to get a raise with the chief and I'm not going to fail."

Amber eyes flashed as Raph raised his head, pulling back his lips and letting a low growl echo in his throat.

He had no idea where it came from, or where he'd got it. All he saw was one second the man was glaring at him and the next, there was a searing flash of pain on his flank and a startled yelp escaped him. He turned to snap at the man, his amber eyes narrowing on the thin black piece of leather being waved threateninly in his face.

"Try that again mutt and I'll have your hide tanned." Cook snarled.

"Try that again human and I'll have your face shredded." Raph growled back, meeting Cook's dark brown eyes with sharp amber ones of his own.

The staring went on for another few seconds before the irritated honking of the other drivers forced Cook to turn back around. Raph felt the car lurch forward under him before it settled into a steady motion. His stomach churned violently, forcing him to close his eyes and settle his head back on his paws, his tail curling with his body.

When did it get so cold? Raph didn't know, but suddenly his body was shaking to an imaginary chill. His breathing quickened as images floated into his head, appearing like a phantom in his mind.

_Kevin... _

_Ben... _

_Rebeca... _

_Sandra and Amber... _

_His life at the farm, sleeping with the young boy... _

Like a snake striking, he bolted upwards. Amber eyes wide, he stared straight ahead, guilt tearing at his heart and pounding at his soul, screaming in guilt.

Those faces weren't supposed to be there... he'd replaced his family - his real family - with total strangers... a family who didn't know who he really was. A family who knew his as Houston, a dog saved from death and brought into the family. They knew him as a protector of their son and the miracle to saving their farm. He was just another dog to them... but, why did he feel like he belonged? The second a paw had stepped foot in Cook's car, it felt like a piece of him was being torn away - was being dug from his heart. And it was still there.

But they weren't his family... they didn't care for him. So why should he? They gave him up... but they saved him from death. Like a family would.

Like brothers would.

_Gosh Mikey, Don... Leo bro... father... I am sorry... so sorry... _

* * *

Raph looked upwards as he felt the smooth pavement of the road change, tires crunching over a gravel driveway. They were going down a long drive, evenly cut pine trees racing alongside the road on either side. He could feel the car's tires bounce along the gravel as the finally pulled along side the house and amber eyes went wide.

_This isn't a house... it's a freakin mansion!_ He shook his head. _This is nuts. _

Raph's large amber eyes traveled around the whole area. In the back, peaking just above the privacy fence was a large blue slide that curved into what he could only assume was the pool. The house must have easily been three stories, maybe more, and all of it a solid marble colored brick. White made up the roof and the pillars on the front porch. Several winding trails off brick led into wooded terrain, around the house, and some to small barn-like structures. A little ways off Raph could just make out what looked to be an agility course for dogs, with tubes and seesaws and hoops and a black, chain link fence surrounding that whole area. With neatly trimmed bushes, wild roses and several other plants and flowers Raph had never seen and perfectly cut grass, the whole area screamed rich. And Raph knew that police officers didn't make _this_ much.

"Come on boy," Cook tugged on the leather leash, pulling the still stunned Raph from the car.

As he felt his paws touch the cool grass, he stretched his body a little, flicking his ear at the sounds that hit him. The mower rumbling in the distance, the snap of trimmers, the low neigh of horses in the outer barns, and the sounds of people laughing and walking.

As Raph passed by, walking obediently at Cook's heels, he was painfully aware of the eyes that rested on him and stayed that way. The place seemed to despise anything new... it wasn't the welcoming air he'd received at Ben's. This place... it was like it was ready to grab Raph and tear him up just for living - breathing. It just wasn't right.

He was led to a large brick building and the sliding door pushed open. The second it opened a split inch, Raph flinched at the sudden explosion of barking and it took him that long to realize that the whole place was soundproofed.

"Hey punk ya want a piece of me!"

"Bite this ya stupid..."

"... hey newbie!..."

_What the shell?_

Raph knew that it probably wasn't the best thing he could have thought up off, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

There were kennels everywhere! Each was filled with one dog after another. Raph recognized several of the dogs being German Shepherds, Beagle, Dobermans, Labs... lots of animals that a K9 division would have.

And every last one of them were throwing insults at him.

A grin filled his doggy face and amber eyes lit as Raph laughed. It was too good to be true.

He was shoved into the very last kennel as the door slammed shut behind him. With a snarl, Raph turned and jumped, throwing himself against the metal wiring and bouncing back off. The concrete was cool under his paws and the thick blanket in the corner didn't at all look inviting.

"Welcome to living hell mutt."

Raph whirled around, glaring at the black dog in the kennel next to him. The dog looked to be a mix between a Labrador and Beagle, but with the size and pointed ears of a German Shepard. His fur was a smoky black of coal with one white paw and dark brown eyes that bore into Raph.

"Who are you?" Raph snarled, barring his fangs and lashing his tail side to side.

The dark brown eyes were curious, not mean, but he still had the odor of a dog who demanded respect. He was curled up in his dark blue blanket, a large bone resting on his folded paws. The thick black tail was curved around his body and his ears were relaxed.

"Who are you?"

Raph hesitated a brief second before replying with a low growl. "Raphael."

The black dog dipped his head in greeting. "Welcome then."

Snarling, Raph growled out, "I sure don't feel welcome here pal. What is this place?!"

"This, my friend, is a place where Master Cook is trying to make the perfect police dog. With the strength of a German Shepard, the smelling and hearing ability of a Beagle, and the energy level and good looks of a Labrador."

"So wait, you're saying this guy is trying to create the ultimate police dog?" Raph tried to hold back the chuckle from his voice. "What kind of nuts am I running into these days... this is getting ridiculous."

"You've had an interesting journey, I assume?"

Raph rolled his eyes at the black dog. "You have no idea... what's your name?"

Dark brown met amber and Raph felt a chill run through him as suddenly those dark brown eyes were surrounded by blue.

"My name is Leo."

* * *

**Yes, I know, horrible cliff hanger. **

**Please leave a review!  
**


	16. Chapter 15 The Voice

**PLEASE NOTE: the following poem below is mine. I did write it and it has been copyrighted and published, so don't try and steal. **

**Enjoy.  
**

* * *

Raph blinked.

"Excuse me... what did you say your name was?"

Leo looked at him oddly. "Leo, why?"

_Ok, this is messed up. This is really messed up. If I find I Don, I will consider this journey the official end to my sanity. _

With a heavy sigh, Raph looked away, focusing his amber eyes on the ground. "No reason, you.... you just look like one of my brothers."

Leo nodded his head slowly, studying Raph's face. "Grew up along side em' eh'?"

Raph's head snapped around, his eyes going wide. "Yeah... yeah, how'd ya know?"

Flicking his ear, Leo motioned for Raph to come closer the chain links that separated them. As Raph watched, all the lively energy he'd seen in the large black dog moments before seemed to slowly disappear with each breath Leo took.

"I understand what you're going through." he offered Raph a small, doggy smile, his chocolate pools going sad. "I grew up in a family of five as well. There was me, my three brothers and our mother." he shrugged his muscular shoulders, the raven fur waving slightly. "Never knew our father. We grew up on the streets, searching for trash, living in the shadows... typical stray stuff, mind you."

Ear perked, Raph felt a chill race through him as the story went on.

"There was me, Dodger, Raquel, and Mikey..." Leo gave a small, sad chuckle as Raph instantly perked upn't .

_It can't be the Mikey from Kevin's.... could it? No... it couldn't... _

"Little Mikey... he was the runt of the group, never grew up to be as tall as the rest of us. No one knew why, but he was still our brother. Raquel was just an hour behind me... he was an all white dog with black paws. Incredible fighter... a pain in the butt of a brother."

Raph laughed, picturing all the fights he and the blue banded turtle had had over little things. "Trust me... I get where he's coming from."

Leo gave him a strange look, but went ahead with his story. "For some reason, I don't doubt that. Anyway, we all had our strengths and weaknesses. I was the most skilled, able to find food and just protect my family. Dodger sense of hearing... he protected our family in his own special way. Mikey could smell food a few miles away, so we'd never go hungry."

"So you and your brothers basically worked together... and survived a world that rejected you." Raph gave a small smile. He found himself looking around, searching for dogs in the kennel that could be Leo's brothers. "They here?"

Instantly he knew it was the wrong things to say as Leo's ears dropped and his head lowered. All the cocky attitude around him seemed to drop almost instantly. "No, my... my mother and brothers are dead. I'm the only one left."

"How... how do you know? I mean... they could have survived." Raph was never one to quickly give up on ones he loves, especially considering all of the close calls he and his brothers had had.

Leo turned away. "They're dead... even when I was brought here, I could still feel them. I took comfort in knowing that they were still alive." a small sigh escaped his lips. "I woke up one morning... and I couldn't feel them anymore"

Dipping his head, Raph felt shock creeping onto him. The brothers and sisters, those close to one another, they all had a link... a bond that they shared.

"Nothing but death through those big gates of heaven and the feel of clouds beneath the paws shall the link be broken." Leo murmured quietly to himself.

Raph watched, noticing the sadness deep in the chocolate pools and the faint whimpers that escaped his throat. That was when he realized something.

_Dogs... dogs can't cry._

Simple tears never had so much power until then. The streaks down a human face would instantly bring warmth and comfort from others around them, encasing the sobbing figure in hugs and love until the rivers stopped and the person was well enough to go on. The big, fat salty drops told so much more than pain - they told a story of how a person - an innocent person - was suffering cause of fate.

But dogs... innocent dogs couldn't cry. They couldn't have their fear streaked in tears as their humans left them, or get comfort from people wanting them dead. They couldn't do anything but lay there... some accepting their fate. Some ready to die just so the pain of the heart would stop.

People saw the eyes of dogs. People see the wildness or the loving side.

But people can't.... people don't want to see any deeper than the present emotion. They don't want to see the scars of the past hidden in eyes of the dogs, or of any pet.

Shelter pets... they couldn't cry. And because of the lack of that, many ended up dead.

Why?

Cause so many refuse to look into the eyes of a dog. Cause they know what they'll see.

"Leo..." Raph stood quietly, sofly padding over and reaching through the bars with one paw, resting the large black limb on the raven fur. He gazed sadly into the grief stricken eyes with his own. "I'm sorry."

And Raph stayed that way the whole night, his paw resting on his new friend's shaking back. He couldn't do anything but comfort him. All he could do was watch him grieve for his family in silence.

Fate always had an odd way with Raph. The red banded turtle knew that. But it was then that a poem his brother had read to him forever ago came to mind.

* * *

_"Donny watcha doin?" Raph leaned over the computer desk, a chocolate bar firm in one hand. He chewed quietly, observing the screen before he noticed the tears on the olive colored cheeks. "Don? Bro? What's going on? Are you ok?"_

_Don shook his head, giving a small laugh. "This poem I read... it was just so sad, but good."_

_Raph thought for a minute. "I didn't think something sad, which is normally a bad thing, could be good."_

_"This poem..." Don rested his fingers reverently on the screen. "This poem speaks the truth about thousands of dogs everwhere."_

_Taking another bite, Raph shrugged. "So?"_

_"Just listen..."_

Hi

I once had a name... maybe I still do

But here they call me by many names

I used to be cute - I used to love to run and play

Do you remember those days? I do

I had these huge eyes that sparkled with curiosity and a nose for adventure

I used to follow bravley wherever my over-sized paws would take me

I had that cute little yawn that you would giggle over and that small tail that beat with excitement when you scratched my belly

Those were the days when I could run and chew up stuff and nap whenever

I was cute

I was young

I was a puppy

But now look at me

Can you see the gray around my muzzle and the limp to my step?

Can you hear the grunts of each long walk and the pained breath I take after a run?

Is that why you turn from me?

Is that why you ignore the pleading look in my eyes?

Is that why you leave me to my death?

I do not ask for the white in my fur or the hurt in my paws

I do not beg for the hoarse sound of my breath, nor the way my lungs scream for air

But yet I see no pity in your eyes nor feel the gentle touch of your hands

My bark is rough, yet still there

My energy is low, but I still love a good game of fetch

Why is it that you turn from me then? Why is it that you leave me for the young?

Can you not see the wisdom in my eyes?

I will not mess in your house or tear the carpet

I will not jump up for hugs or chew on shoes

My appearance is the same, though aged

My heart is still the same, each beat a breath of life

My loyalty is there

Tell me, did you not see the future when you saw me? A cute little puppy looking at you through the window?

Did you not predict that age would claim me, as it does every living creature?

I am not different

I grow up

I grow old

I die

Yet still you took me home and welcomed me into your family

You taught me sit and stay, and that going in the house is bad

You gave me love

I gave you my life

I never wanted anything more

Is a little love really that much to ask for?

If it isn't, then why am I here?

Why am I begging for a second chance?

Yet no one takes me

No one can see the cute puppy I once was

Everyone sees a bag of bones

A creature who's death is close

Is that not true for all? Can death not claim the young and old?

Yet here I stay

I know my death is soon

I know my time is at an end

Yet still I pray for a miracle for the thousands of others

For the millions of dogs that will one day end up here, behind the same bars I stand behind

I can hear the clock

My story is coming to and end

I pray you can understand my words

No, don't come and try to save me, for my time has come

I am a simple older dog

Nothing fancy about me or my looks

Nothing important beyond the fact that I too, have a heart

I can hear the steps

My story is closing

I sit tall and proud

Yet as I walk to that big metal door, I can't help but wonder

If I had done something different, would I be here today?

No matter, I can see the needle

The last page has turned

As blackness claims my vision, I can't help but think

I have no voice to give

I am nothing special

I gave my heart

I got death

I am one of thousands

I have no voice to give

You are one of millions

Will you be my voice?

***

Raph shook himself out of the daze. Even then the soft, soothing voice of his brother haunted his memory.

"Maybe... maybe this won't be so bad after all." Raph mused with a little amusement. But after this day, he wouldn't ever forget this moment. Why?

Cause fate had an odd way off opening eyes to the world.

And Raphael knew that from then on, his eyes would be open.

And stay that way.

_I am one of thousands_

_I have no voice to give_

_You are one of millions_

_Will you be my voice?_

"Yes," Raph whispered softly. "Yes, I will be your voice."

* * *

**Please leave a review! I love hearing from you guys and your thoughts. Also please feel free to share any comments, concerns, and such you feel I should add to this. Thanks! **


	17. Chapter 17 Blood and Silver

**Yes, I am a horrible author for leaving you guys hanging for so long . I'll try to make it up to you but life has been hectic and my new job is keeping me busy. But hopefully ya'll can enjoy this chapter and I'll try to have the next one up ASAP. Thanks for being patient!! **

**Yes, this chapter is a DREAM!!! Not real... but the things that take place in his dream often are the fates of many dogs out there. Please ignore all grammar mistakes. I'm tired lol being thrown from a horse will do that. But anywho... on with the story!!!  
**

_

* * *

"Raph..." _

Raph's head snapped around, his ears perking as he took one hesitant step forward. Darkness swirled around him in a gentle fog, as the eerie voice called to him... echoing all around him in a seemingly endless tunnel.

_"Raph..." _

"Who's there?" Raph listened to his own voice echo for a split second before dying down in the night, while the other voice seemed to echo around him still.

_"Raph..." _

"I'm here!" Amber eyes strained through the heavy mist, seeking... hoping to find the owner of the voice. "Who are you?!"

_"Raph..." _

Instead of the usual anger that surged through him, fear pierced at his heart. And it scared him.

_"Raph.." _

"Answer me!" he snarled, hoping the fearful tone didn't show in his voice as his muscles tightened, his tail twitching.

_"Raph..." _

The voice was growing closer.

_"Raph..." _

Raph's eyes widened as out of the fog, three shapes seemed to be walking towards him. The colors blue, orange, and purple flapped behind them like an invisible flag, the only color against the blackness that choked at him.

"Leo? Mikey? Donny?" Unable to keep the hope from his voice, Raph relaxed his muscles and straightened up, joy overtaking him in a wave. He took a step forward, his voice choking. "Thank you... I... I missed you guys so much!"

_"Raph..." _

"Guys?" Danger quickly replaced the joy as the three muscular bodies of his brothers molded into large canines with piercing eyes of his brothers with deadly sharp teeth and claws. Raph watched in utter fear and hopelessness as smiling Mikey became a large black dog with snarling fangs, the normal happy blue eyes becoming deadly and... dead. And so his other brothers changed also - Leo's calm appearance seemed to shake as his chocolate brown eyes became black... Donny's wise face forming into death itself as his eyes glowed a blood red.

"G...guys?!" Raph could feel his tail curling under him in utter fear as his three brothers... no... three huge dogs began to circle him, tails lashing, claws scratching at the ground and blood dripping from fangs as their eyes bore into him. Searching him... seizing him up... watching him as though he was the prey... the meal of the hunter.

"Mikey!!" The plea in his voice was not hidden as Raph began to cry out. "Leo! Donny please! It's me!!!"

And then they spoke, their voices harmonizing into one... echoing.

_"You couldn't save us... you led us to our slaughter..." _

"NO! I... I would never..."

_"You stayed behind! You betrayed us... for a boy..." _

Raph began to shake as his fur dampened from the sweat that began to poor from his body. "He... he wasn't just a boy... I couldn't..."

_"You killed us! Traitor!" _

"NO!" Raph screamed out, scrambling backwards as they followed him. Images flashed in front of his eyes.

Mikey strapped down to a table, screaming as his hands slowly formed into paws... his shell molding into fur as his beak changed into a muzzle. Raph could only watch, fear claiming his voice as his baby brother changed totally into a large black dog. He watched as they muzzled him roughly, blood quickly seeping out from under the brown leather. He watched as they ran tests, Mikey awake for them all...screaming... crying.

Then he watched as they dissected him.

The sharp scalpel pierced through the thick fur, cutting back the fur, then the skin and revealing the insides.

The bones of the ribs were cut away as the began to poke at his organs, blood pooling around them, becoming a waterfall off the table and forming a pool at their feet.

He watched, horrified as they laughed at the blood... laughed at the screams... laughed as death claimed those beautiful blue eyes... them becoming a mere fog.

Then they closed.

"MIKEY!!!" Raph screamed out. He could feel his heart being ripped from his chest at the pain he felt. "NO MIKEY!!!"

Another image... this one of the purple clad brother. To Raph, his heart might as well have been ripped from his chest when he saw what had become of the gentle, genius brother.

He could see the cheering fans, the slap of green bills as bets were made. He could smell the straw, the beer, the smoke of cigars and finally... the blood. The very smell of it wasn't like normal smell of battle - this was overpowering as it threatened to choke him in it's power. It wasn't the smell of evil - it was the smell of two innocent dogs in the fight to the death, urged on by cruel owners with whips and chains and the roar of the drunk crowd. Then he saw him.

His youngest brother, chained into the beautiful form of a red Husky. One ear was badly shredded and what was left of his tail was nothing more than a mere stump. One eye was swollen shut, blood still leaking behind the closed lid while the other, a dull brown, was clouded in a heavy pain. His body that once held beautiful fur was badly shredded, scars dotting his body and blood coating his fur in a rich red color. From what was left of his fur, one could see the bones of every one of his ribs, his hip bones sticking out painfully. There was not an ounce of muscle on his body as he stumbled into the ring on three legs, what was left of his rear right one dragging limply behind him. Raph swallowed painfully as he watched the butts of cigarettes and coke cans hit Donny as he met his attacked, a large growling Rottweiler.

He never stood a chance.

It was over quickly... far to quickly and Raph could only watch as the limp body of Donatello hit the ground, his chest never to raise again.

Raph turned away, a whimper escaping his throat as unshed tears fell from his soul. "No more... please no more..."

"Do you see now?" a familiar voice whispered painfully from behind him.

His head snapped around as Raph whispered the name. "Leo..."

His brother stood there, not in dog form, but in his regular mutant form. His green muscles rippled from under green skin, his chocolate brown eyes soft, hidden behind the sky blue mask. His blades rested comfortably on his shell. Leo smiled as he held out a hand. "My brother..."

Before Raph knew what he was doing, he had eagerly pressed his head into Leo's outstretched hand, whimpering as he sought the familiar comfort that only the eldest turtle could give. His body cried out for love as Leo gently rubbed his fingers across Raph's head before kneeling and embracing Raph tightly.

"Leo... oh Leo..." Raph sobbed, no longer ashamed of the tears in his voice. "Donny...Mikey..." He could barely choke out his deceased brother's name as he mourned for them in the arms of his remaining brother.

"They are still alive Raph..." Leo smiled gently as Raph collapsed in his arms, a shaking mass of fur. "They are alive and well with me. But... this will happen if you don't stop him..."

A snarl tore through his throat as Raph jerked back, amber eyes blazing. "Stop who?! What is this mess?! This is just... this is just sick!" Raph couldn't believe that what he had seen was real... that this really happened to dogs... to innocent creatures. To man's best friend.

"This does happen..." Leo smiled sadly. "I can't tell you who Raphael but... I can tell you this... follow silver and blood... sacrifices of a greater good."

"Silver and blood... what...Leo...LEO?!"

And just like that, Leo was gone, as was the mist and the black night. Raph cried out silently as the comforting arms of his brother were replaced with steel links of chains the cold concrete of the floor. The police station... Leo...

Raph lowered his head as Leo's words repeated in his head.

_Follow silver and blood... sacrifices of a greater good... _

"Ok Leo... I trust you...

I trust you."

* * *

**Review??? Please :D **

**For everyone who is confused, this dream is the start of a mystery for Raph :) It'll make sense in later chapters with more clues/dreams and we'll see who can piece the clues together first!  
**


	18. Chapter 18 ATTENTIOn

Hey everyone! Bet allot of you didn't think you'd ever see me again did you? LOL Well for about two years I've grown bored with TMNT until the new series by Nick came out and everything was resparked... sadly, my old stories weren't sparked and will probably remain that way unless someone would like to adopt them. When you adopt a story from me, you won't just be writing it. I'll be helping along every word and chapter, betaing the story for you, giving you ideas, bouncing, so on and so forth and maybe even occasionaly writing a chapter or two :) So if you're at all interested in adopting one of my stories, please get ahold of me.

Since I've been gone, I've turned 19, I'm engaged and 13 weeks along in a very happy pregnancy. I've met the most amazing man a girl could wish for and we're very happily living together. Raph is still my favorite character to this day and nothing will change that :) And yes, I still love torturing him... hehehehe. Expect more torture stories soon!

Another thing I'd like to add is that if anyone needs help with torture fics, or would like me to write one, please get ahold of me! I'm now professionaly writing and making money so for all of you who'd like to see a plot bunny put into work, message me and we'll work something out, whether its payment (saving up now for the little one!) or a trade fic, we'll figure it out!

Anyway, I miss you all on this site and I can't wait to get with you all soon again! Until later!

~raphfreak


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